There are relatively few cars that can break the 200mph barrier. There are fewer still that let you conquer the double ton with room for four occupants. And you’ll find faeces from the offspring of a rocking horse and a unicorn before you find a car that lets you do all that with the roof down. Or at least that was the case until the new Bentley GT Speed Convertible arrived.
The GT Speed Convertible (think of it as the ‘GTI’ version of the Continental GTC convertible) can reach 202mph, making it the fastest four-seat convertible in the world. It’s not exactly lethargic about reaching that terminal velocity, either, thanks to a 0-60mph speed of 4.1 seconds. For reference, the standard roof-bearing Continental GT Speed can hit 205mph and takes 4 seconds to reach 60mph from a standstill.
Convertible cars are usually slightly heavier than their coupe counterparts. Manufacturers try to keep this weight increase as low as possible, but the GT Speed Convertible is a huge car that requires considerable strengthening to prevent it wobbling itself to pieces without a roof. As a result, the GT Speed Convertible’s kerb weight is 2,495kg – a whopping 175kg more than the GT Speed.
It hardly matters, because under the bonnet is a 6-litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine that produces 616bhp at 6,000RPM with up to 800Nm of torque available from as little as 2,000rpm.
There are a few compromises. Fuel economy has dropped from 19.5mpg to 19mpg, CO2 emissions have jumped from 338g/km to 347g/km and boot space has dropped by 90 litres to 260 litres.
You’ll be able to distinguish the GT Speed Convertible from its ordinary Continental GT cousin by its dark-tint chrome finished matrix radiator grille and bumper air intakes, 21-inch Speed alloys, elliptical exhaust pipes with a rifled finish and the fact the winged ‘B’ badge on the radiator shell is mounted on black enamel background.
The GT Speed Convertible will go on show for the first time at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2013.
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