Bentley Raises the Roof on Performance

My Bentley Continental GTC Speed – Road Test

My Bentley Continental GTC Speed cost $867,455.44 drive-away in Australia. That’s not a typo. That’s house money. The Luxury Car Tax alone was $173,278.75, enough to buy a decent hatchback, a boat, or a couple of seasons in the corporate box.

It wears Tourmaline Green paint over a Linen interior, understated black brake callipers, and one of my favourite little pieces of automotive theatre, the self-levelling wheel badges. In photos, Tourmaline Green can look a little naff, almost too polite. In real life, it’s stunning, deep, rich, and alive with subtle shifts in shade as the light moves over it. The ‘B’ in the wheel centres stays perfectly upright as the wheel spins, like it’s defying physics. Look closer and you’ll notice something most people never do: the badge isn’t symmetrical.

That’s not a mistake, it’s a century-old security measure. When Bentley introduced the winged ‘B’ in 1919, they deliberately gave the wings an uneven number of feathers to thwart counterfeiters. The pattern changes depending on the model, and on my GTC Speed, the right wing carries 10 feathers, while the left wing carries 9. It’s one of those heritage touches that’s survived more than 100 years, right alongside the original font for the capital “B”, while other brands have flattened and sanitised their logos.

Step inside, and the attention to detail is as close to perfect as it gets. The diamond quilting is art. The knurled metal controls feel like those of a Swiss watch crown. The famous rotating display still elicits a reaction every time, transitioning from a touchscreen to three classic dials, then a clean sweep of veneer. Every detail feels considered; nothing is tacked on. This is a cabin that doesn’t just exude craftsmanship, it radiates intention.

The Heart – and How it Killed a Legend

The engine bay of the Bentley Continental GTC Speed… you can’t see much, but there’s a lot of power lurking.

Under the bonnet is Bentley’s new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 paired with an electric motor, the “Ultra Performance Hybrid” that quietly murdered the W12, wrote a polite note of condolence, and then delivered more power than ever. Combined output is 574 kW (771 bhp) and 1000 Nm of torque, with the e-motor adding instant shove right from the first millimetre of throttle.

The hybrid system isn’t just there to tick a green box. Yes, it can run silently for around 80 kilometres on electric power alone, enough to cruise through the city or along the coast with nothing but tyre noise, but the real magic is how it works when you’re pressing on. The e-motor acts as a torque fill, eliminating any hint of turbo lag and delivering seamless, elastic acceleration that feels both relentless and perfectly measured.

All of that power is sent to the road via an all-wheel-drive system, which is managed with the help of four-wheel steering. The AWD delivers massive traction out of corners, while the rear wheels steer fractionally in the opposite direction at low speeds to tighten your turning circle and in the same direction at higher speeds to make the car feel shorter, sharper, and more planted. The combination means you can put all 1000 Nm down early, confidently, and without upsetting the balance.

Flat out, it’s good for around 3.4 seconds to 100 km/h and will keep pulling towards 335 km/h in coupe form, 285 km/h for the GTC. The eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox is a gem in manual paddle mode, instant, precise, and totally in sync with what I’m asking for.

The Drive – Shrinking a 2.6-Tonne GT

Through the Yarra Valley and up into the Dandenongs, the surprise was agility. I expected “fast lounge room,” but instead got a car that shrinks around me. The steering is light but beautifully accurate, with just enough weight in Sport mode to give a clear sense of what the front tyres are doing.

All-wheel steering makes the GTC Speed feel shorter than its 4.85 metres when cornering, pivoting quickly into bends. The Bentley Dynamic Ride system, featuring active anti-roll bars powered by a 48-volt system, keeps the car flat in corners without compromising ride comfort. Torque vectoring by brake and the rear e-LSD make it easy to feed in power early without unsettling the balance.

Through a series of tight second- and third-gear curves, the car feels secure and unflappable. The grip from the 22-inch Pirelli P Zeros is immense, yet the chassis always feels willing to adjust its line with a fraction more throttle or steering. At 2,626 kg, it’s not light, but it hides the mass so well that you only notice it under really hard braking, which, thanks to the optional carbon ceramics, is still massive and fade-free.

It’s here you realise the Bentley’s secret: it can do far more than the road will allow. The depth of ability is such that, to stretch it truly, you’d need a racetrack. Not because it needs one to feel alive, it’s perfectly engaging on the road, but because it outgrows a public road so quickly, and so effortlessly, that you’re always holding it back.

What’s special here isn’t just the numbers; it’s how easy they are to use. In many supercars, 1000 Nm would be an on/off switch; in the Bentley, it’s a perfectly metered tool. You can short-shift and surf the torque, or wring it out and enjoy the V8’s hard-edged growl as the e-motor fills in any gaps. The hybrid system isn’t here for silent city EV mode, though it’ll do short runs on battery alone; it’s here to make the car faster, cleaner, and sharper everywhere.

The performance delivery is so natural that you stop thinking about managing the power and start thinking about how you want to use it. That’s rare in a car with this much firepower.

Ride and Refinement

Leave Sport and drop back to Comfort mode, and it becomes the world’s most indulgent cruiser. The air suspension has a pillowy compliance over bumps and ripples, yet it never wallows. The cabin is almost eerily quiet with the roof up, and even with it down at highway speeds, the wind is managed so well I can talk at normal volume.

On that one-degree morning, I drove roof-down from Healesville to Warburton. The neck warmers, heated seats, and a properly sorted HVAC system meant I was never cold, and my hair looked no worse than if I’d walked briskly down the street. Buffeting is negligible, thanks to a well-shaped wind deflector and that long, graceful windscreen.

Tiger at Rest

Bentley has never been shy about evolution, but the latest Continental GTC wears its changes with a quiet kind of confidence. The most obvious shift is up front, gone are the twin-lamp eyes of recent years, replaced with single round headlights for the first time since the 1950s. It’s a deliberate nod to the marque’s past, but there’s nothing retro about the way they’re set into the sharpened front fascia. The big, gloss-black matrix grille, framed in polished chrome, sits above a more assertive lower splitter and side intakes, giving the nose a presence that’s both elegant and predatory.

Bentley’s own designers talk about the car like it’s a tiger at rest, muscular, poised, every line coiled with potential energy. That impression only grows the longer you look. The tauter proportions and smoother surfacing draw inspiration from the exclusive Bacalar and Batur coachbuilt models, with a cleaner, more sculpted silhouette that feels alive even standing still. The broad haunches hint at rear-drive muscle, while the new 22-inch directional wheels have a claw-like rake, as if they’re ready to dig into the tarmac. There’s also a touch of the thoroughbred horse in its stance—regal, balanced, the calm before the gallop.

Details matter here. Crystal-cut “Harmony” lighting elements, subtle welcome animations, and illuminated treadplates set the tone before you’ve even turned the key. Inside, Bentley has struck a fine balance between old-world richness and contemporary restraint: intricate new quilting patterns, open-pore veneers, and darker metallic finishes that quietly radiate luxury.

As a convertible, it still manages to look elegant roof-up or roof-down thanks to that four-layer fabric hood, with the usual Bentley touches—heated armrests, neck warmers, ventilated seats, making top-down motoring as indulgent as it is effortless. It’s a car that doesn’t just arrive; it prowls, even when standing still.

People notice this car. Some stare, some smile, some pull out their phones. The Tourmaline Green over Linen is pure understated luxury, enough to stand out without screaming for attention. In photos, the green can look a little naff, almost flat. In real life, it’s stunning, deep, rich, and constantly shifting with the light. The black brake callipers and those asymmetrical-feather badges are subtle tells that you know exactly what you’re driving, even if most people don’t know why.

The Verdict

Image: Andrew Clarke

It’s everything a Bentley grand tourer should be: devastatingly fast, beautifully finished, endlessly comfortable, but it’s also something I didn’t expect: genuinely agile, engaging, and perfectly at home on a winding mountain road. It’s a convertible you can drive all year, from summer beach runs to icy winter mornings in the hills.

It also made me feel undeniably special. The combination of craftsmanship, performance and presence is intoxicating; you don’t just drive it, you arrive in it. But it’s so powerful, so composed, that it outgrows a public road very easily. More than once, I found myself craving a track outing, not because it needs a racing circuit to come alive, but because that’s the only place you could explore the full depth of its performance without holding back.

Plenty of cars can do luxury. Plenty can do speed. My Continental GTC Speed does both, in one seamless package, and in a way that makes that house-sized $867,455.44 price tag feel reasonable. If you have to worry about the price, like me, you probably don’t have enough money to buy one.

In the meantime, we can sit back and marvel at the exquisite craftsmanship in one of the greatest GT cars ever built.

Now Bentley, when’s the track day?

2025 Bentley Continental GTC Speed

Price (as tested): $867,455.44 (Drive-away, Australia)

Powertrain

Engine: 4.0‑litre twin‑turbo V8 + electric motor, Bentley’s Ultra‑Performance Hybrid

Output: 771 bhp (≈ 575 kW), 1000 Nm torque

Electric Motor: ≈ 140 kW (190 PS), torque-fill at low revs

Battery Pack: 25.9 kWh, offering approximately 80 km (WLTP) of electric-only range

Power Delivery: The electric motor not only enables silent EV mode but also boosts responsiveness and smooths out throttle transitions during spirited driving

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch (paddle shift)

Performance

0–100 km/h: ~3.2–3.4 sec

Top Speed: ~285 km/h (177 mph)

Drivetrain & Dynamics

Drivetrain: All-Wheel Drive with active centre differential & all-wheel steering

Chassis Systems: Includes 48‑volt active anti‑roll bars (Bentley Performance Active Chassis)

Weight: 2,626 kg
Length: 4,850 mm
Width: 1,964 mm
Height: 1,399 mm
Wheelbase: 2,851 mm
Tyres: 275/35 R22 (front), 315/30 R22 (rear) – Pirelli P Zero

Brakes: Optional carbon-ceramic discs (440 mm front / 410 mm rear)
Steering: Electric power-assisted, all-wheel steering
Suspension: Adaptive air suspension, 48-volt active anti-roll

Test paint: Tourmaline Green
Interior: Linen leather
Brake callipers: Black
Badge detail: 10 feathers right wing / 9 feathers left wing (anti-counterfeit heritage feature)