Bentley’s 2023 Continental GTC Speed: A Cheetah in a Lion Suit

To most driving enthusiasts, there is nothing as pleasurable as a warm day tooling round country roads in a ragtop. The smell of freshly mown lawns wafts in your nostrils; the sun’s rays bathe the atmosphere in warm tones. It doesn’t get much better.

Well, actually it does. Make the car a Bentley Continental GT. Glutton for more fun? Make that Bentley a convertible, or GTC Speed. Recently, Penta had the opportunity to wend our way around Sullivan County, New York, and put a GTC Speed through its paces.

The Drive

Given its weight, at roughly 4,800 pounds, it is no surprise that it offers a solid feel and holds the road without much effort. The GTC Speed feels a bit like a land yacht, but in a good sense. That is, when you climb aboard you know right away that you’re in for a treat and that the ride could take you anywhere. And like the U.S. Navy, the GTC Speed (standard MSRP US$317,000) projects power.

The car we drove was priced at US$379,00 because it was ladled with cushy options like a custom-made sound system, so that you can share your musical faves with your neighbours; 22-inch wheels for better grip and handling; and a high-gloss fibre finish, among many other accoutrements. A king’s ransom? Yes. However, the Bentley is often measured against the Ferrari Roma or the Mercedes Benz S65 AMG. That’s rarefied competitive air. The engineers in Crewe, England, pride themselves on making sure this GTC is capable of taking you on a long drive comfortably at 90 mph as well as on a quick run to the local grocery store. Think of a cheetah in a lion’s suit, and you get the picture.

It tops out at 208 mph, in case you need a latte really quickly. We took it to 161 mph in sport mode for a few moments and enjoyed a marvelous and mischievous thrill ride, and no smokies with radar guns. For obvious reasons, what interstate we managed this is a top business secret. [But don’t try this at home!] And if you love big engines, note that next year’s models will be the last with such W-12 muscle, part of a greener Bentley, as Penta has previously reported.

The Specs

The vast hood hides a 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12 engine, a monster that delivers bold power as well more graceful manoeuvring than otherwise might be expected from such a heavy car. The horsepower is rated at 650 and the car obtains gas mileage of 15 city and 22 highway. Bentley says it will do 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. Other Bentley Continental GTs are available with a V8 engine, for those more concerned about the environment.

The Bentley GTC Speed offers four driving modes: Comfort mode is a likable combination of a speedy roadster that will take you to 100 mph, before you even notice. Call it relaxed cruising.

Move to Sport mode and the GTC does its unique version of a squat thrust, and off you go. Sport mode optimises the engine, transmission, and suspension to boost dynamic ability, and when engaged, it should be immediately felt by the driver. And the engine, normally quiescent, begins to roar through the two exhausts in the rear. The other modes are Bentley, a combo of sport and comfort, and Custom. The chassis system features rear-wheel steering, which improves cornering at speed.

The colour of the model we drove is called Kingfisher.
Vito Racanelli

From the front, back, or side it’s a handsome car, and certainly gets its share of acknowledging looks from pedestrians. The Bentley GTC driver quickly learns to recognize the envy of onlookers and other drivers. The color of the model we drove is called Kingfisher. We plebs would say it was a sweet shade of light blue. OK, Kingfisher, if you must. The GT hardtop is just US$259,000 before options but we recommend the GTC Speed convertible, unless you live way up North. The Bentley line up consists of a range of GT and GTC models that can be customized for engine size and hp; convertibles and hardtops; and colors, etc., among other accouterments.

The Cabin

In a few words, luxurious and spacious for the front two passengers, but little room for others in the back seat. It’s a GT 2+2, typical in that the back seats are negligible for humans. As we tested a convertible, we shoehorned a 6-footer into the back seat with the top down, but the advantage of being able to lick your knees was somehow lost on our uncomfortable passenger. Best to keep the backseats to dogs or children.

What’s Not to Like

Penta has noted in other expensive luxury sports competitors to Bentley: the invasion of plastic in the cabin. Yes, it lightens the car’s weight, improves performance, yadda, yadda, yadda. But even a little is a lot for cars at this price level. This Bentley does have plastic here and there in the cabin. Not a lot, but really, one might expect control knobs made of gold in this price range. And the gasoline tank dial could be bigger and better placed, but you get used to it. Maybe you don’t want to see, or care, for that matter.

At the end of a long summer’s day driving the GTC Speed, you feel as if you are in a fast and mobile Four Seasons Suite.

As Paris makes its final preparations for the Olympic games, its residents are busy with their own—packing their suitcases, confirming their reservations, and getting out of town.

Worried about the hordes of crowds and overall chaos the Olympics could bring, Parisians are fleeing the city in droves and inundating resort cities around the country. Hotels and holiday rentals in some of France’s most popular vacation destinations—from the French Riviera in the south to the beaches of Normandy in the north—say they are expecting massive crowds this year in advance of the Olympics. The games will run from July 26-Aug. 1.

“It’s already a major holiday season for us, and beyond that, we have the Olympics,” says Stéphane Personeni, general manager of the Lily of the Valley hotel in Saint Tropez. “People began booking early this year.”

Personeni’s hotel typically has no issues filling its rooms each summer—by May of each year, the luxury hotel typically finds itself completely booked out for the months of July and August. But this year, the 53-room hotel began filling up for summer reservations in February.

“We told our regular guests that everything—hotels, apartments, villas—are going to be hard to find this summer,” Personeni says. His neighbours around Saint Tropez say they’re similarly booked up.

As of March, the online marketplace Gens de Confiance (“Trusted People”), saw a 50% increase in reservations from Parisians seeking vacation rentals outside the capital during the Olympics.

Already, August is a popular vacation time for the French. With a minimum of five weeks of vacation mandated by law, many decide to take the entire month off, renting out villas in beachside destinations for longer periods.

But beyond the typical August travel, the Olympics are having a real impact, says Bertille Marchal, a spokesperson for Gens de Confiance.

“We’ve seen nearly three times more reservations for the dates of the Olympics than the following two weeks,” Marchal says. “The increase is definitely linked to the Olympic Games.”

Worried about the hordes of crowds and overall chaos the Olympics could bring, Parisians are fleeing the city in droves and inundating resort cities around the country.
Getty Images

According to the site, the most sought-out vacation destinations are Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique, a seaside region in the northwest; le Var, a coastal area within the southeast of France along the Côte d’Azur; and the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean.

Meanwhile, the Olympics haven’t necessarily been a boon to foreign tourism in the country. Many tourists who might have otherwise come to France are avoiding it this year in favour of other European capitals. In Paris, demand for stays at high-end hotels has collapsed, with bookings down 50% in July compared to last year, according to UMIH Prestige, which represents hotels charging at least €800 ($865) a night for rooms.

Earlier this year, high-end restaurants and concierges said the Olympics might even be an opportunity to score a hard-get-seat at the city’s fine dining.

In the Occitanie region in southwest France, the overall number of reservations this summer hasn’t changed much from last year, says Vincent Gare, president of the regional tourism committee there.

“But looking further at the numbers, we do see an increase in the clientele coming from the Paris region,” Gare told Le Figaro, noting that the increase in reservations has fallen directly on the dates of the Olympic games.

Michel Barré, a retiree living in Paris’s Le Marais neighbourhood, is one of those opting for the beach rather than the opening ceremony. In January, he booked a stay in Normandy for two weeks.

“Even though it’s a major European capital, Paris is still a small city—it’s a massive effort to host all of these events,” Barré says. “The Olympics are going to be a mess.”

More than anything, he just wants some calm after an event-filled summer in Paris, which just before the Olympics experienced the drama of a snap election called by Macron.

“It’s been a hectic summer here,” he says.

Hotels and holiday rentals in some of France’s most popular vacation destinations say they are expecting massive crowds this year in advance of the Olympics.
AFP via Getty Images

Parisians—Barré included—feel that the city, by over-catering to its tourists, is driving out many residents.

Parts of the Seine—usually one of the most popular summertime hangout spots —have been closed off for weeks as the city installs bleachers and Olympics signage. In certain neighbourhoods, residents will need to scan a QR code with police to access their own apartments. And from the Olympics to Sept. 8, Paris is nearly doubling the price of transit tickets from €2.15 to €4 per ride.

The city’s clear willingness to capitalise on its tourists has motivated some residents to do the same. In March, the number of active Airbnb listings in Paris reached an all-time high as hosts rushed to list their apartments. Listings grew 40% from the same time last year, according to the company.

With their regular clients taking off, Parisian restaurants and merchants are complaining that business is down.

“Are there any Parisians left in Paris?” Alaine Fontaine, president of the restaurant industry association, told the radio station Franceinfo on Sunday. “For the last three weeks, there haven’t been any here.”

Still, for all the talk of those leaving, there are plenty who have decided to stick around.

Jay Swanson, an American expat and YouTuber, can’t imagine leaving during the Olympics—he secured his tickets to see ping pong and volleyball last year. He’s also less concerned about the crowds and road closures than others, having just put together a series of videos explaining how to navigate Paris during the games.

“It’s been 100 years since the Games came to Paris; when else will we get a chance to host the world like this?” Swanson says. “So many Parisians are leaving and tourism is down, so not only will it be quiet but the only people left will be here for a party.”