1975 Bentley Corniche Reviews

Volkswagen is looking good to claim the crown as its two biggest rivals, Toyota and General Motors, both run into trouble.Brand T has been hit badly by its reliability and safety scare in the world's biggest showroom, the USA, and hurt in many other countries - including Australia - by the production troubles triggered by the Japanese tsunami and earthquake earlier this year.Volkswagen is already number one in Europe, with sales of 2.8 million vehicles - nearly triple the annual sales rate in Australia. Meanwhile, General Motors is still rebuilding after its bankruptcy and is also impacted by sluggish sales at home in America.Volkswagen Group has been aiming for the top spot for several years under the aggressive leadership of Ferdinand Piech, and forecasts it will hit the target in 2018 as it aims to increase its annual global sales to around 10 million vehicles.It is spending around $100 million to increase production across the   world, as well as developing a vast range of new models currently   headed by the value-driven baby Up.But, with the troubles at its rivals, three forecasters are now saying it will finish on top at the end of 2011. The respected JP Power organisation in the USA, as well as IHS Automotive and PwC Autofacts, believe Volkswagen's worldwide sales this year will rise by around 13 per cent to 8.1 million.Its biggest successes are coming in China off the back of the Volkswagen brand, but VW Group can also claim totals from a huge range of brands including Bugatti, Bentley, Audi, Seat and Skoda. At the same time, Toyota's total is forecast by Power to fall by 9 per cent to 7.27 million.The Japanese slide is worse than it looks, as it could also cost Toyota second place to General Motors after the hard work to become global number one in 2010. Power says GM's sales will improve by 8 per cent to 7.55 million, although the margins at the top of world motoring will be very tight by December 31.

A responsible publication would at this point post a warning to the sensitive that this article contains superlatives and references to indecent levels of decadence. There's nothing about Bentley's  upgraded topless grand tourer to encourage economy with language, anymore than driving this land yacht with a speedboat's attitude is about economy and restraint.VALUESorry, what was the question again?"Value" isn't a word one uses in proximity to one of these. It's a bit like offering a Russian oil billionaire (a species, who along with China's new money elite, comprise a big chunk of Bentley buyers) domestic sparkling wine rather than champagne.You can still get a very decent apartment in some Australian capitals for less than the approximately $530,000 asking price of the folding roof Bentley. I've lived in smaller rooms than the GTC's interior and stayed in no hotel so lushly upholstered.There's nothing quite like it this is side of a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe and for that you're looking at more than double the ask for the Bentley. The rivals listed below are chosen as much for their ability to go topless as for any real comparability.TECHNOLOGYThe unique Crewe-built twin turbo 6.0-litre W12 has been around for some seven years, just that it's now capable of accepting E85 fuel and, more to the point, is even more muscular putting out 423kW and a mountain crushing 700Nm. Few petrol engines exceed this power, and only one turbo diesel - cousin Audi's top draw A8 - exceeds its torque.Married to the QuickShift six speed auto from the Continental Supersports, it is a formidable drivetrain that, with the uncannily Audi derived rear biased all-wheel-drive system, gets the GTC's 2.5 tonne displacement from zero to 100km/h in an unfeasibly fast 4.5 seconds en route to claimed maximum 314km/h.There's the usual talk at convertible launches about enhanced body stiffness. More tangibly you have a four mode Continuous Damping Control. The front track is 41mm wider, the rear 48.Massive midlife upgrades and sweeping generational changes are left to lesser lights, but such other tech upgrades as have been made are significant, such as the 30 GB hard drive that includes a Google Earth derived sat-nav that's as familiarly usable as it is sophisticated.Even Bentley isn't immune to the legislatively driven engine downsizing, so a bespoke of the new 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 (made for Audi's S6 and S7) is en route though there's no certainty as to when that'll reach our part of the planet. It's felt that what  "you V8 loving Australians" as we we called will gravitate toward it.DESIGNTweaks and embellishments don't exactly abound and you'd want a connoisseur's eye to see them at first glance. Me? I had to read the handout to be sure.Bespoke LED daytime running lights flank an apparently more upright grille with a rear profile in the "double horseshoe" manner of the flagship Mulsanne. There's a choice of 20 and 21-inch alloys from five spokes to 10, all enough to make you want to park meters from the kerb.Mainly and sensibly it's a case of honing a few creases and addition a bit more lustre. As ever the GTC looks indecently attractive with the lid folded down, less so with it up. In any either configuration it's a muscularly handsome beast with one of the most distinctive front ends in the world. When this grille fills your rear vision mirror the temptation is to gawk rather than get out of the way.Within ... Well, it's as though an Edwardian gentlemen's club has been fashioned in the shape of an auto interior. Even the dash is finished in soft-touch leather or which there are 17 shades to complement the seven handcrafted hard veneers. But those wands could have come out of the Volkswagen Group communal parts bin.Bentley has matched Benz with neck warmers for going topless on a cold day. Those being chauffeured in the back also get a bit more leg room. No vulgar, weight adding metal lid for the GTC. It's a tailored multi-layered fabric job that folds down in 25 seconds.SAFETYThe day a safety agency can afford to crash one of these to assess its star worthiness is the day we all start swilling schooners of Veuve Cliquot and smashing the empty vessels in the fireplace. It's just not going to happen.Nor is there any need for this particular excess - festooned airbags, all conceivable safety measures and battleship build quality, the Bentley is bullet, and very possibly bomb, proof.DRIVINGTorque of this sort is not cheap but it is so readily attained - all 700Nm from as low as 1700rpm - a tidal wave on which  the Bentley's small truck tonnage is borne along if not effortlessly then certainly without expending too much effort.Its remit is consuming klicks at a loping cruising pace, it's just that the GTC can do it at 200km/h while barely tickling 3000rpm. At Australian freeway speeds it seems barely to be moving.While the likely client will also own  something honed and sharp for point and shoot driving, this coach acquits itself honourably if modes and transmission are set to the sportiest. In any circumstances comfort mode is a bit acquatic and a constant reminder that, though this incarnation is lighter than the one previous, it remains a lardy beast.That this baggage isn't excessive says it all for the W12 which hauls with immense authority in drive or sport. Maximum power occurs just before the 6200 rpm redline, but this is in no sense about histrionics in terms of revs or even aural feedback.The exhaust blast is best heard from week back rather than within and even with the top down conversations are carried without raised voices.VERDICTVisually an exercise in conspicuous consumption, to drive an exercise in leisure. Never mind your mortgage, live in one of these.Bentley Continental GTCPrice: about $419,749Engine: 6.0-litre W12; 423kW/700NmTrans: 6-speed auto; AWDSafety: UntestedWeight: 2485kgThirst: 16L/100km; 384g/km Co2"Living large; in fact you'd live in it"

Bentley's chief executive Wolfgang Duerheimer told Carsguide this week that he is "writing the business case and I hope to bring it to the (Volkswagen) Group board this financial year". Duerheimer has driven the case for Bentley's SUV, which would sit well above the current crop of luxury soft- roaders, possibly to the north of $350,000. The 12-year veteran of Porsche was research and development chief there for a decade, a time during which the Cayenne came to fruition, revitalizing the brand's fortunes. "The SUV will be," Duerheimer told Carsguide at the launch of the renewed Continental GTC in Croatia. "I have been working on this project for eight months. The longer I dive into this the more confident I get thrash this is the right decision. There is no SUV in the Bentley segment, there is nothing above the ($250,000) Porsche Cayenne Turbo S. "A car which contains the quality, luxury and craftsmanship that Bentley stand for does not exist. A slice of a big cake is possible for us." The German points to Porsche for proof. "When we proposed the Cayenne the dealers said we were crazy. Our clients said 'we drive sports cars, we don't need an SUV'. Even the media told us we were crazy. "We have sold 50,000 units of the SUV without hurting the sports car business." While nothing approaching that volume is mooted, Duerheimer suggests an SUV will push Bentley toward 20,000 annual sales of all models. While he says a version of the Continental GT coupe with a bespoke version of Audi's new twin turbo V8 will become e marque's entry car, the SUV would at least in part be derived from much humbler models. VW's Touareg, Audi's Q7 and the Cayenne have such commonality they are assembled on the same Slovakian production line. "We will not do everything from scratch," Duerheimer concedes. "We are in the lucky situation where Bentley can access all the technology in the group. "I have design models. Our assessment shows we have a completely new approach to SUVs in the group."

Synonymous with the unique twin turbo W12, an assortment of variants, including a brand entry Continental GT, will run an Audi-sourced V8. Wolfgang Duerheimer, chief executive of the Volkswagen Group-owned ultra luxury marque, tells Carsguide "it will not be many motor shows before we (officially) announce it". "It will be a group engine and it will be developed with our own calibration and our own settings." While Duerheimer refused to be specific, the engine in question is almost certain to be the 4.0-litre direct injection twin turbo V8 soon to debut in Audi's S6 and S7. While the fearsome emissions of the W12 - almost  380 grams of Co2 per km - are ameliorated across the VW Group, the Crewe UK based marque is not immune to the global push to downsize engines. Increasingly that pressure is coming not only from European legislators, but those of China whose new money elite comprise Bentley's second biggest market after the US. More affordable variants, as bent eights would certainly be, are also central to Duerheimer's push to get the iconic brand's sales back to five figures annually, as they were before the GFC. The primary sales shove will come in the form of a new SUV, but Durheimer says this would run only a 12-cylinder engine. Bentley's Asia Pacific spokesman Robin Peel says that while the eight is born of necessity it also represents a reconnection with its pre-VW Group heritage. "After all, we ran a V8 for more than 50 years," he says. "It's en engine we would expect to have appeal for Australians given your enthusiasm for V8s."

The previous luxury cabrio launched in 2006 and Bentley says the assertive stance of the new model has a more modern and muscular presence. The four-seater boasts a new, even more spacious and sumptuous hand-crafted cabin, with a choice of 17 leather colours and seven wood veneers to choose from. The 6.0-litre W12 engine is good for 423kW and 700Nm to ensure it lives up to Bentley's "wall of torque" reputation. Bentley has defied the market in the past 12 months to grow by more than 30 per cent. China has led the growth, with 1000 Bentleys finding a home there - or one in four of every Bentley made in the past 12 months.

It's one of those cars that look just the same as the old one, at least at first glance. But, if you were to put the new Bentley Continental GT side by side with its predecessor, the differences would become immediately apparent. It's a strategy that has been adopted successfully by other car makers, BMW chief among them, leading to an evolutionary rather than revolutionary approach to car design. At the same time, the new model must be sufficiently different to entice existing customers to update. Has Bentley succeeded?VALUEAt just over $400,000 plus on-roads, the Continental GT is Bentley's most affordable model, straddling the upper reaches of the luxury segment and lower echelons of the even more exclusive, range of hand-built vehicles. To put the car in context, the two-door, four-seat coupe is designed to whisk four people in absolute comfort across the continent at warp speed and fulfills this role very well.Think big and powerful with huge reserves of torque and a top drawer, hand-finished interior and you begin to get the picture. Launched in 2003 (2004 in Australia) the Continental GT was the first modern day Bentley of its kind and as such found a ready market. One Oz customer even flew his completed car out to Australia rather than wait the two months for it to arrive by boat.The GT has spearheaded the resurgence of the bespoke British brand, under Volkswagen's ownership and now accounts for a majority of sales. As a successor, the new GT won't find the running quite so easy, but it's been a while between drinks.TECHNOLOGYWith the unique W12 engine in place again, it's lighter and more powerful than before, and the all-wheel drive system is now biased 60:40 towards the rear, imparting a sportier drive experience. The 12 cylinder engine (in effect two V6s joined at the hip) pumps out an impressive 423kW of power and 700Nm of torque this time around, up from 412kW and 650Nm.Linked to a sweet ZF 6-speed auto with column mounted shift paddles, it pushes the car from 0-100km/h in a scant 4.6 seconds, two tenths less than before, with a top speed of 318km/h. That's not an inconsiderable feat bearing in mind the GT weighs a hefty 2320kg.In a first too, the W12 engine is now E85 compatible, but we shudder to think how fast it would slurp the stuff based on the 20.7 litres/100km that we were getting using 98RON (claimed economy from the 90-litre tank is 16.5). We're told fuel consumption would increase about 30 per cent, greatly reducing the range.DESIGNIn the styling department, the car has a more upright front grille and there is a greater difference in size between the headlight/secondary light combination either side, with the addition of fashionable daytime LEDs.The window level has been raised, the rear lights are completely different and the rear apron has also been completely redesigned, with 20 inch wheels standard and 21s now optional.Inside you need to be a Bentley aficionado to pick the differences. But the new 30Gb touch screen navigation and entertainment system is hard to miss, adapted from VW's parts bin. The front seat belt mount has been relocated providing a more comfortable seat design and easier access to the rear seats. There's 46mm more rear legroom but still feels too tight for long trips.DRIVINGOn the road the car feels quieter, tighter and more responsive, generating more feedback for the driver. But throttle response remains considered rather than instantaneous, as the car gathers itself for the charge. At idle the W12 has an impressive throb. We were surprised by the absence of driver assistance systems apart from active cruise control.Bentley says they aren't a high priority with customers, but with a narrow field of view, blind spot warning wouldn't go astray, neither would auto-braking to prevent rear-enders. In other developments, Bentley has revealed it will add a V8 later this year, but is not saying much about the 4.0-litre engine apart from the fact it will produce better economy (and will no doubt be cheaper).BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GTEngine: 6.0-litre turbocharged petrol 12-cylinderPower/torque: 423kW at 6000rpm and 700Nm at 1700rpmTransmissions: Six-speed automatic, all-wheel drivePrice: From $405,000 plus on-road costs.

...this 2012 Bentley Continental GTC Speed hit British roads for final testing.The update for the drop-top includes a more aggressive look on the nose, vents in the bonnet and new headlamps.The tail end has a new spoiler, slimmer lamps and a revised exhaust.

... with its first showing in Australasia of the new Continental GT. Celebrating its eighth year of production, the GT has been restyled with bolder haunches, a flatter stance and more kick from its W12 engine. Bentley Australia spokesman Ian Churchill says this is the first time the coupe has been shown in the Asia-Pacific region. He says the GT has been given a stronger look thanks to a fresh design and new manufacturing techniques that allow sharper lines. The car’s matrix grille is restyled to be more imposing, the headlights have a jewelled effect and the tail lights are now wraparound LED units. From the back – where most traffic will be – you’ll find a new double horseshoe motif borrowed from Bentley’s flagship Mulsanne and flared elliptical exhaust pipes. A touchscreen and blood-orange dash illumination have been added to the leather and timber veneer cabin, while power rises to 423kW/700Nm and drives through a six-speed sequential automatic and an all-wheel-drive system. Bentley’s stand will also have the Continental Flying Spur – the most powerful saloon it has ever made with 412kW/650Nm – and the brand’s flagship Mulsanne. The Mulsanne, costing $657,000, retains Bentley’s awesome 377kW/1020Nm 6.75-litre V8, but thanks to engine adjustments and the addition of an eight-speed automatic transmission claims a 15 per cent drop in fuel consumption.

Bespoke British manufacturer Bentley has announced that it will be present at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne. The company will use the occasion to publicly display, for the first time in Australasia, the exquisite new Continental GT. In addition, Bentley will show the flagship Mulsanne – a car that truly represents the Bentley brand. Each Mulsanne takes nine weeks to build in a new manufacturing facility in Crewe, England, where traditional coachbuilding skills developed over six decades are fused with the latest in technology. Making its Australasian debut, the GT is somewhat of a coup for the Australian International Motor Show. The new vehicle features the latest evolution of Bentley’s acclaimed six-litre 12-cylinder engine. With its ‘W’ configuration it is the most compact 12-cylinder engine in the world. Continuing the technological theme of the show, the latest version of the power unit is an impressive piece of engineering. Maximum power has increased to 423kW and torque up to 700Nm – seeing the GT effortlessly reach 100km/h in just 4.6 seconds and topping out at 318km/h. However, that is just part of the story. Bentley’s advanced new FlexFuel technology allows the all-wheel drive coupé to run seamlessly on petrol, bioethanol (E85) or a combination of the two. The drivetrain has been enhanced further by the introduction of the new six-speed Quickshift transmission which has reduced gear change times by 50 per cent. The stunning Mulsanne sedan will ensure that the GT doesn’t get all the attention on the Bentley stand. The Mulsanne is Bentley’s flagship and the numbers are almost as impressive as its inherent presence: an all-new 6.75-litre V8, 377kW of power, a mammoth 1020Nm of torque, eight-speed automatic transmission, 2.5 tonnes of luxury (yet a 0–100km/h time of just 5.1s), top speed of 296km/h, and a $662,000 (excl on road costs) retail price. Russ Tyrie, Australian International Motor Show event director, is understandably excited to welcome Bentley back to the show. “Bentley vehicles definitely have a ‘wow’ factor to them,” said Mr Tyrie. “The undeniable class, the design and style, the heritage – people just know that there is something special about a Bentley. “To have the Australasian public debut of a car like the new GT is very special for us – and I’m sure the Mulsanne will also be a crowd-pleaser.” The Australian International Motor Show opens at 6pm on Friday 1 July and runs through until Sunday 10 July at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Chinese buyers helped Bentley survive the downturn, which hit top-tier marques especially hard. Bentleys are large, which suits Chinese luxury tastes. Its bestseller there, by far, is the Flying Spur sedan.The Flying Spur is the four-door variant of the Continental GT, the coupe that was the first car Bentley made after it split from Rolls-Royce to become part of the Volkswagen group.The Continental GT defined the reborn Bentley. It was exactly the sort of eye-catching shape Bentley needed to put it back on the radar.Eight years later the second-generation GT has arrived to carry the banner into the next decade.DESIGNBentley desperately needs to boost sales but decided on a gentle evolution of the GT rather than a radical overhaul.So there are subtle changes to make it look racier and more upmarket. It's wider than before and the waistline -- the lower edge of the windows -- has been raised. Some of the panels are now aluminium, which helps to shed about 60kg. It also means Bentley can use a shaping technique called superforming to avoid seams around the headlights, give crisper lines along the sides and more pronounced haunches.TECHNOLOGYUnderneath, the suspension has been retuned while under the bonnet, the W-shaped 6.0-litre turbocharged 12-cylinder engine has got 11kW more power and 50Nm more torque. The all-wheel drive system now distributes drive with a 60 per cent bias to the rear instead of an even split, so that the dynamics more closely resemble a traditional sportscar.Inside, Bentley has liberated some rear leg-room by redesigning the seats and relocating the seatbelts. The central control screen is larger and its software has received the latest upgrade.DRIVINGTHE previous Continental GT was a lovely car that epitomised the grand-tourer idea. This is a romantic notion, to me at least, that suggests effortless meandering among the cultural landmarks of Europe like an Evelyn Waugh character, a wad of inherited money in my back pocket.Unhappily, that's not my lot and neither would it be for most GT owners. But the GT was a pleasant way to drive to work when you're a time-poor merchant bank exec. As a statement of weighty prosperity and power, the GT felt exactly like a Bentley should.A design this good deserves to live beyond a single model cycle, especially at the top of the market. Some brands tinker with the same shape for decades without doing much; Porsche's 911 is exhibit A. There are sound reasons for Bentley to do the same. Inspired by famous models from its past, the face of the GT set Bentley on a design course that is still being followed.Count the retained looks as a plus, but it's still doubtful whether Bentley has done enough with this upgrade.Some changes play on our subconscious awareness of quality, giving the overall result a more polished feel. These include the way the headlights now sit in individual cut-outs, instead of the cheaper construction method used before. But other makers such as Morgan and Aston Martin already do this on cars that cost much less.Some improvements, such as the new control screen in the centre console, aim to make it more modern. This system has been inherited from the Volkswagen group, then tweaked for the GT. But it's neither cutting-edge nor especially easy to use, and certainly not up there with the best. You don't come away thinking, “Oh, I wish my iPhone worked like that.'' It's worthwhile addressing these issues, but they're not a huge leap forward.This is true of the engineering as well. The engine can run on ethanol up to E85 but has yet to gain direct injection, which improves fuel economy and power at the same time. This should arrive in a 4.0-litre V8, reportedly being developed with Audi, and due in the GT later this year.This 12-cylinder, driving through an automatic transmission with six speeds as before, gains a little power and remains a muscular slurper. There's good torque from low revs for effortless progress, although snap acceleration is hampered somewhat by the GT's substantial mass. The weight shed in this upgrade is tiny compared with the car's mass and affects fuel consumption barely a jot. As you would expect, it feels solidly planted on the road and rides with heavyweight assurance. Despite the heft, there's some delicacy to the chassis, with body roll and pitch sweetly damped. It was, and remains, an enjoyable drive.For anyone willing to spend $400,000 to $500,000 on a car, choices have multiplied since the GT arrived in 2003. Bentley says this vindicates its original strategy. But it also suggests that a minimalist approach to this upgrade may not be enough. If you didn't like the look of the original GT, the second generation won't change your mind.BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GTEngine: 6.0-litre turbocharged petrol 12-cylinderPower/torque: 423kW at 6000rpm and 700Nm at 1700rpmTransmissions: Six-speed automatic, all-wheel drivePrice: From $405,000 plus on-road costs