Twist the plump key and the W12 fires with a boom. A valve in the exhaust opens – as it does under hard acceleration – in the name of aural entertainment, and the pulses from those fat tailpipes remind you of a cross-Channel ferry.
To leave dock, select D, lightly brush the accelerator, and relax as the GTC gently rises up and forward.
Or you could mash your foot into the carpet and crack 60mph in five dead and clear the ton in 12. Bentley claims a hair-raising 195mph flat out. We achieved a remarkable 175mph on the speed bowl before tyre scrub, an awkward bump and the steely doom of the inches-away, rushing Armco suggested we retire for the afternoon.
But the GTC’s performance isn’t centred on raw sprinting ability, rather the provision of effortless thrust at all times. To this end, the auto does everything it should, its smooth and reliable manual shifts making it well worth using during spirited driving.
It’s hard to imagine brakes that could restrain a charging GTC, but these are the largest discs – 405mm diameter on the front – fitted to any production car. Their retardation is impressive, as is their willingness to sustain repeated punishment.
There are four suspension settings – and this is the best-riding Continental we’ve driven. In ‘comfort’ mode the suspension still allows too much road surface detail into the cabin at times, but this is a fantastic car in which to waft.
The greater surprise is what happens when you twist the damper dial the other way. This is a large, heavy car that requires sympathetic handling – but it resists understeer remarkably well. Although the initial turn from straight ahead isn’t that promising, you can feel a good deal of the deterioration in grip, and sense the differential juggling the torque. This surefooted, far-from-blunt approach breeds confidence. Only when pushing very hard over a bumpy road can you detect the odd shimmy, which, considering the forces involved, is remarkable.