GT THREE

Is the new hybrid-powered Bentley Continental GT Speed the ultimate GT? We pitch the 771bhp colossus from Crewe against the 671bhp Aston Martin DB12 and the MC20-engined Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo

- JOHN BARKER

WHAT IS A GT? FOUR HOURS AFTER SETTING OFF, I think I've got a pretty good idea, and it’s Bentley Continental GT Speed-shaped. More than 220 miles have passed beneath its huge wheels, occasionally very quickly, yet getting out I feel as fresh as when I slipped in. The ability to cover vast distances effortlessly is the hallmark of a true GT and from the moment you swing open the door, the Bentley promises that. The light grey and red ‘Hotspur’ contrast trim might not be the colours I'd choose, but you're greeted by a reassuring plushness, deep carpet underfoot and soft suede welcoming you into the seat. Gently pull the door to — a motor finishes the job — and then there’s a slightly surreal quietness, the bustle of the outside world muted, almost like you’ve slipped on a pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

I heard the Conti arrive even before it turned into my street, its engine note a heavy pulse like a big-capacity V-twin motorbike or a motor cruiser, but when I push the start button I wonder for a moment why nothing has happened. It’s because the default drive mode - ‘B’ for Bentley — starts the Conti in EV mode. Now I recall the delivery driver saying he’d driven here in Sport because it charges the hybrid system and he wanted to deliver the car with a full battery as well as a full fuel tank so that all 771bhp (count ’em!) would be available, the individual peak outputs being 591bhp from the 4-litre, twin-turbo V8 and 188bhp from the e-motor.

There’s a plushness to the way the Conti GT Speed drives, too. The ride over choppy town roads is remarkably supple, facilitated partly by the new electronically controlled, two-valve dampers (on two-chamber air springs), partly by the active anti-roll bars that decouple when not required, allowing more individual wheel articulation. You’d never guess it was riding on 22-inch wheels wearing 275/35 Pirelli P Zeros up front and even bigger 315/30s at the rear.