2012 Bentley GTC announced
25.08.2011 - Paul Myles
(12)
Bentley will show its second generation of the iconic Continental GTC convertible at the Frankfurt motor show next month.
It features the muscular, sculptured lines, taken from the GT Coupe, and luxurious hand-crafted interior married to state-of-the-art technological developments.
Power from its 6.0-litre W12 engine is boosted to 567bhp with torque increased to a massive 516ftlb/ft enabling a 0-62mph sprint time of 4.5 seconds on the way to a top speed of 195mph. The motor is also FlexFuel enabled allowing it to use petrol or bioethanol E85 fuels.
At the same time fuel economy has been improved with Bentley claiming a combined-cycle consumption of 17.1mpg.
Technical advances include the use of light aluminium front wings using a construction technique called Super Forming, without seams or welds, to give a coach-built feel to the car.
Bentley has opted for a multi-layer fabric electronically operated roof to cover a completely reworked interior enjoying soft-touch leather hides, in a choice of 17 colours, and an extensive range of wood veneers, cool touch metal surfaces and deep-pile carpet options.
The car comes with 20-inch alloy wheels as standard and has an option for three different styles of 21-inch items.
Driver pleasure is said to be enhanced with a wider track, front and rear, sports suspension and sharpened steering. Bentley's all-wheel drive system now features a 40/60 rear torque bias, against the 50/50 of the original GTC, to reduce understeer.
The GTC will be available for delivery from late this year and comes with a starting price of £149,350.
