How can an all-wheel-drive supercoupe be ‘most sideways,’ you ask?
The Conti GT Speed was giving demo rides with none other than Bentley Works GT3 driver Jamie Morrow at the helm. This polite and dapper gentleman turns into a car-hurling beast on the track — with lurid Scandinavian flicks rocking the car off-balance and the huge, huge W12 Speed’s engine power pulling around corners in a perma-drift heaven.
It was absolutely magnificent. A man in a Breitling watch and an official Bentley pay stub can certainly push the car he knows so well to the limits — better than a bunch of auto journalists.
We were so sideways, in fact, that GoPro filming was frowned upon!
But the memories of the big GT Speed being flung around like a Miata? They will stick with your author for life.
Thanks Jamie, good luck out there in the new Bentley GT3 car!
2014 Bentley Continental GT Speed W12 – SPECS
2014 Bentley GT Speed W12
| Bentley Motors Vehicle Specification | |
| Continental GT Speed | |
| Two-door, four-seat coupé Grand Tourer | |
| ENGINE | |
| Configuration | 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 |
| Capacity | 5998 cc / 366 cu in |
| Induction | Two parallel turbochargers, direct intercooling |
| Power | 635 PS / 626 bhp / 467 kW @ 6000 rpm |
| Torque | 820 Nm / 607 lb.ft @ 2000 rpm |
| Construction | Alu. alloy block, heads & pistons, forged steel crank & conrods |
| Bore x Stroke | 84 mm x 90.2 mm / 3.3″ x 3.55″ |
| Compression ratio | 9.0:1 |
| Fuel delivery | Port injection |
| Valve Gear | 4x overhead camshafts with cam phasing, 4 valves per cylinder |
| Fuel | 98 (95) RON gasoline to E10 (to E85 in North America) |
| Cylinder Deactivation | NA |
| Other Notes | 15° V-angle per bank, 72° between banks. Black intake manifolds – signature Speed styling cue |
| TRANSMISSION | |
| Configuration | Automatic gearbox, torque converter, permanent all-wheel drive |
| Torque Split (front:rear) | 40:60 with ability to send max 85% to rear and max 65% to front |
| Gearbox Specification | ZF 8HP90 AL951 eight-speed automatic with block shifting |
| Gear ratios | 1st: 4.71, 2nd: 3.14, 3rd: 2.1, 4th: 1.67, 5th: 1.29, 6th: 1.00, 7th: 0.839, 8th: 0.667 |
| Final Drive | 2.85 |
| Shift Time | Mechanical time 600ms, total time 800ms |
| Other Notes | Block shifting allows combined downshifts (e.g. 8th to 3rd) |
| BRAKES, ESP & CRUISE CONTROL | |
| Brake Disc Material | Cast Iron or optional Carbon-Silicon-Carbide (CSiC) |
| Front | 405 mm ventilated iron / 420 mm cross-drilled CSiC |
| Rear | 335 mm ventilated iron / 356 mm cross-drilled CSiC |
| Calipers | 8-piston front,single-piston sliding rear, painted red as standard |
| Assistance | Electronic Brake-force Distribution, ABS, Hydraulic Brake Assistance, Aquaplane detection |
| ESP | As per Continental GT but with revised, more dynamic tune for GT Speed |
| Cruise control | Cruise control as standard, optional Adaptive Cruise Control |
| Other Notes | Electronic Park Brake with Drive-Away assist |
| EXTERIOR SPECIFICATION | |
| Body Type and Style | Steel monocoque, super-formed aluminium front fenders, composite bootlid with integrated antennae. Front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser in body colour. |
| Headlights | As per GT W12 but with dark tint finish as standard. Bright tint available as NCO. |
| Paint Colours | 17 standard, 87 further optional, bespoke paint on request |
| Notes | Dark tint matrix grilles. Rifled exhaust finishers. Speed treadplates. |
| Aerodynamics | Concealed rear aerofoil with automatic deployment |
| GENERAL DATA | |
| Length | 4806 mm / 189.2 in |
| Width across mirrors | 2227 mm / 87.7 in |
| Width across body | 1944 mm / 76.5 in |
| Height | 1394 mm / 54.9 in |
| Wheelbase | 2746 mm / 108.1 in |
| Front track | 1664 mm / 65.51 in (+41mm to BY614) |
| Rear track | 1655 mm / 5.16 in (+48 mm to BY614) |
| Front Legroom | 1049 mm / 41.3 in |
| Rear Legroom | 825 mm / 32.5 in |
| Front Headroom (max) | 1006 mm / 39.6 in |
| Rear Headroom | 928 mm / 36.5 in |
| Drag Coefficient | 0.31 Cd spoiler down, 0.33 Cd spoiler up |
| Kerb Weight | 2320 kg / 5115 lb (EU) |
| Gross Vehicle Weight | 2750 kg / 6063 lb |
| Weight distribution (FR:RR) | 58 : 42 |
| PRICING | |
| UK (inc. 20% VAT) | £156,700 |
| US (MSRP) | $227,700 |
| Europe (exc. tax) | € 177,800 |
| Middle East (exc. duty & tax) | $220,500 |
| China (inc. taxes & duties) | CNY 4,238,000 |
| Russia (inc. 18% VAT) | RUB 11,865,500 |
| FUEL CONSUMPTION AND EMISSIONS | |
| EU DRIVE CYCLE | |
| Urban | 12.6 mpg / 22.4 litres/100 km |
| Extra Urban | 28.5 mpg / 9.9 litres/100 km |
| Combined | 19.5 mpg / 14.5 litres/100 km |
| Emissions Compliance | EU6 |
| CO2 Emissions | 338 g/km (efficiency class G) |
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| SUSPENSION AND STEERING | ||
| Front Layout | Four-link double wishbones, anti-roll bar. Stiffened bushes and ARB. | |
| Rear Layout | Trapezoidal multi-link, anti-roll bar. Stiffened bushes and ARB. | |
| Springs & Dampers | As per Continental GT, but with 10mm ride height reduction and revised tune | |
| Steering System | Rack and pinion, ZF speed-sensitive Servotronic power assitance (revised tune) | |
| Turns Lock-to-Lock | 2.6 | |
| Steering Rack Ratio | 66.92 mm/rev | |
| Turning Circle | 11.3 m / 37.1 feet | |
| INFOTAINMENT AND ELECTRONICS | ||
| Driver Interface | Centralised 8″ touchscreen interface, dedicated HVAC panel | |
| Sound System | Balanced Mode Radiators (BMR), Dirac Dimensions DSP. 440W 8-speaker standard system, 900W 11-speaker Naim option, 6-disc CD changer, SD card reader, iPod connection, DVD playback | |
| Navigation System | Dynamic route guidance, 7-digit postcodes, Google Maps imagery | |
| Phone System | Optional Bluetooth telephone connection with privacy handset | |
| Onboard Storage | 30Gb onboard hard-drive | |
| Other Notes | Electronic tyre-pressure monitoring, Keyless entry & ignition, power boot, power door-latching, Park Distance Control, optional rear-view camera, optional TV tuner | |
| INTERIOR SPECIFICATION | ||
| Seating | 14-way power-adjustable front seats. Heating, lumbar, nose extension & memory functions. Optional massage function | |
| Interior Features | As per GT W12, but Mulliner Driving Spec interior as standard. Drilled pedals, diamond quillting, knurled gear lever, optional embroidered emblems | |
| Hide Colours | 17 standard. New unique “Speed” colour split. | |
| Wood Veneers | 2 standard, 6 opt inc bright / unique dark tint engine-spin aluminium or carbon fibre | |
| Safety | Driver & front passenger airbags, front/rear side & thorax airbags | |
| Wheels | Unique 9.5J x 21″ dark tint standard, painted finish optional | |
| Tyres | 275/35 ZR21 | |
| Boot Volume | 358 litres / 12.6 cu ft | |
| Fuel tank capacity | 90 litres / 20 UK gallons / 24 US gallons | |
| PERFORMANCE | ||
| 0-60 mph | 4.0 secs | |
| 0-100 mph | 9.0 secs | |
| 0-100 km/h | 4.2 secs | |
| 0-160 km/h | 9.0 secs | |
| Top Speed | 206 mph / 331 km/h | |
2014 Bentley Continental GT Speed W12 – Gallery – Road America
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.