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By Jonathan Crouch

The Crewe-based Bentley brand has evolved its Continental GTC. Jonathan Crouch reports.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 97

The fourth generation version of Bentley's Continental GTC Convertible claims to represent the pinnacle of open-top motoring. Bentley has been making iconic open tourers for over a century, some built to achieve success at Le Mans and Brooklands, others to convey their glamorous owners to the resorts of Monte Carlo and Cannes. All have been memorable but in truth, none has been truly sporting in the supercar sense. Until now perhaps. Beautiful roof-up or roof down, this now-PHEV-powered Speed model is the fastest, most agile, most luxurious car of its kind this British brand has ever made.

Backgroundword count: 323

Bentley has been producing luxury Grand Tourers since the company was founded back in 1919, many of them open-topped models. Here's the latest in the line, the fourth generation Continental GTC. The brand reckons this car is a definitive expression of opulent GT luxury. It's certainly exquisitely desirable. And potentially rather unusual. Exclusive luxury sports convertibles in the six-figure segment tend to fall into two categories. Either you choose a supercar drop-top with cramped rear seats and driving dynamics great for Silverstone but not so good for the suburbs. Or you go for a huge, leather-lined four-seater sports cabrio with a lumbering luxury powerplant. An opulent sporting convertible somehow able to satisfy both kinds of customer would surely be desirable indeed. Is this it? Earlier Continental GT Convertibles, usually known as 'GTC' models, were very much open-tops of the large, lumbering sort. To start with, we got the first partly-Volkswagen-engineered model of 2006 and the more refined second generation design introduced in 2011. Just before Bentley's Centenary in early 2019 though, we got the more advanced MK3 model which was a rather more sporting thing and provided all the fundamentals for the MK4 version we look at here, launched in mid-2024. This fourth generation design is basically just a heavy evolution of its predecessor. Bentley of course doesn't see it that way, claiming that 68% of the parts used are new. Most of those lie under the bonnet, where the previous thirsty conventional W12 and V8 units get replaced by the PHEV powertrain that Bentley promised but never delivered with the previous generation model. And it's fast, which is why for the time being this car comes only in potent 'Speed' form. So does being able to plug this big GT in justify its place in this modern electrified world? And in this class, it is it more Aston Martin DB12 Volante than Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet? Or an ideal combination of both?

Driving Experienceword count: 439

You expect a drive in a Bentley to number amongst the world's great automotive experiences and behind the wheel of this one, there's no disappointment on that score. So what'll you notice first in this open-topped variant? Well there's no buffeting, no chassis shake over bumps and conversation is easily possible up to and way beyond the legal limit. Plus neck level vents under the headrests, armrests that are powerfully heated, along of course with heat for the steering wheel and seats, make al fresco motoring comfortably possible even on the coldest winter morning. This really is an immaculately engineered piece of cabriolet design. And it's a car that's taken a significant dynamic step forward in this fourth generation form. For this MK4 model, the Crewe company has abandoned its classic W12 engine, but devised a way for its charismatic 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 to live on - as a Plug-in Hybrid; arguably the world's fastest Plug-in Hybrid. Only one 'Speed'-badged model is (for the time being) available and with 771bhp and 1,000Nm of torque, it's Bentley's most powerful road car ever; for reference, that's 121bhp and 100Nm more than the previous W12-engined GTC Speed model. 584bhp of this current model's power total comes from its VW Group-sourced V8, with a further 188bhp contributed by an e-motor built into the automatic gearbox. That motor is energised by a 25.9kWh battery beneath the boot floor that Bentley claims will take the car up to 50 miles and at speeds of up to 87mph. Obviously, do one and you won't be able to do the other. Despite the 2.636kg kerb weight (around 200kg heavier than the old W12 GTC Speed), performance from this 'Ultra Performance Hybrid' powertrain is explosive, 62mph flashing by in just 3.4s on the way (if you can find a race track or the right stretch of autobahn) to a top speed of 177mph. But this car will need more than sheer speed to match competitors, principally arch-rival Aston Martin's DB12 Volante. Well to that end, not much has changed underneath, this fourth generation design carrying forward its predecessor's VW Group-sourced MSB platform and basic body structure. Bentley though, says that weight distribution has been shifted fractionally backwards for a better 50:50 balance. And there are now twin valve dampers which, it's claimed, have enabled the engineers to optimise dynamic ability and comfort. In the most frantic 'Dynamic' drive mode, the drivetrain is tuned to let the rear axle slip slightly, giving the driver greater control of power deployment mid-corner. But if you're planning to drive like that regularly, you really should have bought a 911 Turbo Cabriolet.

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