I took a deep breath and pushed back into my seat. I sat there motionless for a moment, listening to Um Kalthoum fade out on the radio. I had reached Lyon International Airport, and the end of my journey. I pressed the ignition button, and 550 horses went silent. I had just performed the forbidden dance with a 2007 Bentley GT coupe, in undeniably the best test-drive of my life.
Earlier that month, I had received what can only be described as a once in a lifetime opportunity – no not the one from the Zimbabwe currency investment fund – but rather, a special road trip invitation courtesy of the Bentley Motor Company. Bentley had lined up a fleet of cars for a special journey from central London to the heart of France’s Burgundy region. The assembled fleet included the entire modern Continental GT range, as well as two heritage models, the evergreen 1930s Blower and the sleek 1958 original Flying Spur.
Fast forward to six am at the Lanesborough Hotel in central London. The driving starts here. My first car would be the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, the fastest factory four-door ever built, and a great start to my day.
Entering the car from the brisk morning outside, I immediately felt soothed by the warm smell of leather and walnut. The plush interior creates the feel of a luxurious cocoon, massaging the senses and shielding you from the harsh realities of the world outside. It felt like being in an English gentleman’s club, albeit on 20-inch alloys.
I switched on the ignition to the guttural growl of a pack leader emerging from hibernation. I listened for a moment then engaged the paddle gearbox and drove out of the hotel driveway in a car befitting this grand setting. Unfortunately, the image was somewhat tarnished as I drove off with the boot still open. Ahead of us, the early morning London roads were at their empty best. So I forged ahead, effortlessly cutting across the urban landscape in record time. With a top speed of over 300km/h and an acceleration of 0 to100km/h of 4.9 seconds, I wanted to test how the car’s impressive stats faired on everyday tarmac.
Quite simply, the Spur exceeded my expectations on all fronts: the acceleration was powerful, the braking immediate, the cornering fluid, the steering precise, and of course, the cruising relaxed. Two-and-a-half tonnes kept it planted to the road, while the magnificent 6-litre, twin-turbocharged, W12, 552bhp engine powered it effortlessly forward. The abundance of torque is what makes this car excel. It is the secret sauce which gives the whole drive a relaxed demeanour, where no undue stress is put on any part of the car, including the driver.
The Flying Spur may be a luxury four-door family cruiser, but it is one with a hard-hitting racer alter ego. We had, after all, reached the coast in record time.
Next stop France, a country built for experiencing the joys of the motorcar. It possesses every imaginable landscape, and a socialist history that has invested heavily in a top-class road network. Basically, if you had a horse you would go to Marlborough Country. With 550 of them under your bonnet, you would choose France.
The next leg of the journey would be as a passenger in the original version of the car I just tested, the 1958 original Flying Spur. I slunk back in the passenger leather seat, as we powered down the motorway, passing picturesque chateaus and breweries that looked like picturesque chateaus; for everything around these parts was a cut above the ordinary, including the car I was in.
We were now in Champagne country, where, I was handed the keys to the gorgeous GTC. Sadly, I felt no butterflies in my stomach and there weren’t any sparks at our first meeting. At this stage I was speed-dating the GTC, in order to move on quickly to my belle-of-the-ball, the GT coupe.
My lack of enthusiasm was based on prejudice. Traditionally, convertibles don’t drive as well as hardtops. Fortunately, Bentley had not taken the same defeatist view or the same traditional approach as other manufacturers. The designers and engineers built the GTC from scratch specifically as a convertible, and not as a coupe spin-off.
And it worked. The driving was simply exceptional. I simply pointed the GTC at a corner, and accelerated right on through. If the bend suddenly tightened, I simply piled on more lock and powered out with perfect poise. With the top down, the GTC remains sheltered and calm, even at very high speeds, managing to keep you looking good, not that anyone can notice you at 240km/h.
The next morning we took a break from land-based thrills, and thanks to Bentley’s official partner Breitling watches, focused our gazes onto the skies. We were about to join the fraternity of those ‘magnificent men in their flying machines’, albeit as passive passengers in the world’s only civilian aerobatic display team, the famous Breitling Jets. The six jets were now lined up on the runway, and one by one we accelerated into the Dijon sky. Nervous thumbs-up as the display performance began.
Full vertical loop, barrel roll, opposite barrel roll, upside down, loop de loop. This was performed in perfect formation, each plane within two metres of the next. Fear, surprisingly, never came into it, only undiluted exhilaration and amazement at the skill of these pilots. During the 25-minute flight, I was in constant radio chat with my pilot, Bernard, who took pride in pointing out various beauty spots on the burgundy landscape, as we nose-dived towards them at 400km/h. We ended the routine with the breakaway manoeuvre, which goes something like this: severe jet acceleration upwards, right, backwards, head firmly pushed into knees, fuzzy vision, and ears on fire. We hit 6G doing 800km/h.
Back on the ground, I hugged Bernard in a scene straight out of Top Gun, and collapsed on the grass thinking about how my next drive in the GT coupe would compare. That would have to wait as the classic 1939 Bentley Blower was next.
On with the leather hat, the goggles and the wet proofs. Everywhere we went, smiles followed as the car spread a bit of stardust everywhere it went. The driver best described the Blower by stating, “The car has many impressive facts. However, the thing I love the most about it, are the big smiles it spreads to all those who see it pass by.” My short experience in it validated that point and so did the big smile on my face as we reached our next destination. Finally, the GT coupe would be mine.
With the 2007 Continental GT coupe, and an entire afternoon exploring the country lanes of Dijon, the butterflies soon found their way back to the pit of my stomach. For me, this Bentley creates pure unadulterated emotion. I manually raised the spoiler, dropped the ride height and stiffened the shock absorbers. I was now ready. I turned the radio off and opened the windows. Already, the GT was producing a suitably epic soundtrack emanating from the engine. Let the senses feel, and the games begin.
Foot down, hands on the paddles, chest close to the steering wheel. One by one they came. A blitz, a screech, a drift, a glide, fast, slow, torque, acceleration, downforce, camber, opposite lock, and a bit of hand brake turning thrown in for good measure.
One sensation after the next as this cruising heavyweight danced the slalom runs of rural France with the agility and control of Alberto Tomba.
The handling on the GT is unbelievable. It feels nailed to the road and tracks with the certainty of a bullet train, especially through high-speed sweepers. The acceleration is breathtaking and immediate, with enormous reserves of power and torque. The braking is just as impressive and responsive thanks to the car's huge ventilated brakes. As we pass through covered tree-lined roads, the engine and exhaust notes echo through the serenity of the sleepy countryside, to the sensory overload my system was experiencing. At that moment, even the cows were alive to the sound of GT music.
The Bentley Continental GT is many things to many people. It's a status symbol, a piece of art and a modern day classic. The superlatives are endless. A modern day version of the racing history of Bentley, one that sprung from the 24-hour Le Mans victories of recent years; this is car that holds the land-speed record on ice. It has been so popular across demographics, that it has literally safeguarded Bentley’s future.
For me, the GT is simply the ultimate touring car. On one hand, it’s a pure racing thoroughbred, and on the other, it’s the standard-bearer of luxury and style; and that package after all is the real definition of a Grand Tourer.
I left the car feeling emotionally exhausted and happy to have experienced the full potential of a car worthy of carrying the GT name.
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