2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed - Speed Heritage

BY ERIK JOHNSON

A Conti GT with 50 extra horsepower takes Bentley to a place it’s never been.

How many times in your career as a Bentley salesperson have you found yourself in the embarrassing position of having nearly closed the sale on a Continental GT only to be rebuffed when the customer finds out it isn’t capable of 200 mph?

What a pile! Only 198 mph! he says, as he whirls on the heels of his Ermenegildo Zegna loafers and stalks through the solid mahogany dealership doors on his way to the Lamborghini store down the street.

Well, Bentley has rectified that situation by creating the 2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed, a special variant meant to recall Bentley Speed models of yore and one that has been engineered to achieve 203 mph.

More power spews from the Speed’s twin-turbo 12-cylinder engine than that of any other Bentley ever made, and its 602 horsepower at 6000 rpm represents an eye-meltingly large increase of 50 horsepower over the base Conti GT. You can credit increased airflow, a recalibrated ECU, lighter connecting rods, and decreased internal friction for the extra power, which Bentley claims will send the GT Speed to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds”quite a feat for a car that weighs nearly as much as a couple of houses.

But creating a Speed model, which has traditionally been the highest performance Bentley since the moniker’s introduction on the 3.0-liter Bentley in 1923, requires more than just fiddling under the hood. The steering has been retuned, and the suspension is revised with a dropped ride height, more aggressive spring and shock settings, and stiffer anti-roll bars.

The Speed’s 20-inch wheels are 0.5 inch wider than the base GT’s 9.0-inch-wide wheels, and they wear 275/35 Pirelli P Zero rubber all around. (The lesser car has optional 275/30 20-inch rubber.)

Regular GTs also get a few changes for 2008, including revised shocks and a claimed 80-pound weight reduction from lightening suspension components and the cooling system. Power for that model remains at 552 horsepower, and top speed stays at the, ahem, rather pedestrian 198-mph figure.

All GTs will now be available with optional carbon-composite brakes, too, a feature sure to add even further to those hefty commission checks that now await you, our faithful Bentley speed merchant, as discerning drivers discover the allure of a Flying B that can finally rocket past the double-century mark.