Bentley Continental GT

We've already experienced the scintillating Speed model; now it's the turn of the regular Conti GT to impress

- by STUART GALLAGHER

BENTLEY TOOK A DIFFERENT APPROACH when it launched the fourth generation of the Continental GT, the car that reestablished the brand a quarter of a century ago and has been a mainstay of the company ever since.

Rather than launch with the 'entry level' GT (seems wrong to call a Bentley 'entry level'), it went with the range-topping Speed model. But there were, of course, sound reasons for doing so.

The Bentayga SUV may have given the company a footprint in the lucrative SUV market, but the Conti remains the icon of the range, the Bentley that sees thousands of customers losing themselves for countless hours on the configurator, trying to decide between the several billion combinations available to them. Or they might decide to work with Mulliner, Bentley's bespoke service that takes you into a world of personalisation that requires an imagination that goes far beyond green over tan. The Conti is big business, which is why Bentley went big out of the box with the latest iteration, launching with the Speed ahead of the lower-powered Azure and GT models.

With 771bhp from a combination of 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine and 140kW electric motor, the Speed has proven itself to be a definitive GT car. More calming, refined and cosseting than either Maserati's GranTurismo Trofeo or Aston Martin's DB12, the Speed is also a match for them when up on its toes and using all of that power and 738lb ft to substantial effect. And now you can have your Continental GT with less oomph but no less grace.