I also found it interesting how Mr. Bell couldn't contain himself with regards to the new Continental GT. Of course, it is
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| I know of no rival carmaker that does a better job fitting panels, trim and components than Bentley. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
beautifully designed, anyone can see that, but to have one of the world's greatest race car drivers go on enthusiastically about the driving dynamics of a 2,385 kilo (5,258 pound) luxury coupe made me even more intrigued than I was leading up to the event. Fortunately, I found myself behind the wheel of the car the next morning. Before climbing in I took the opportunity to get close and personal with the finely detailed workmanship that went into building it. I know of no rival carmaker that does a better job fitting panels, trim and components than Bentley, and what's more the paint is mirror smooth and almost as reflective. While a large car, it sits low to the ground and sports short overhangs for a much smaller appearance on the road than its dimensions suggest.
It feels smaller than I had expected when on the road too. I should have expected as much, being that the Arnage I tested last year was larger, heavier and still felt "tossable". Comparatively the Continental GT was light on its feet, ridiculously energetic off the
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| I can't remember ever driving a car with a more ideal ride, handling balance. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
line thanks to all four tires digging into the pavement simultaneously, and felt ready for hard charging through the corners. We had to wait for a ferry ride across the inlet before any significant high-speed curves came our way, but they did soon enough and I was able to experience Bentley's racing bred chassis for myself. I can't remember ever driving a car with a more ideal ride, handling balance. Normally a car is set up to either bias ride or handling, but in the case of the GT it seems as though the Crewe engineers made no compromises at all. While every nuance of the road can be felt, feedback is more like regular subtle reminders than overbearing intrusions, unfortunately the way most sports coupes relay information.
