Fancy a drop-top Bentley but can’t stretch to the £225,000 Azure? Then this Continental GTC could be the answer when it goes on sale late next year. Prices are yet to be announced, but don’t expect much change from £135,000 – costlier than the £112,000 Aston Martin DB9 Volante but a relative bargain alongside the Azure.
The GTC is the third and final part of the Continental range, joining the GT coupé and Flying Spur saloon, and its styling draws heavily on its hardtop siblings. The now-familiar face and tail treatment remain, but the convertible is 8mm taller than the coupé.
While the Azure boasts four seats, the GTC is a strict 2+2 aimed at buyers who prefer their cabrios a bit sportier. Power comes from the coupe’s 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12, producing 552bhp and 479lb ft of torque and driving all four wheels through a ZF six-speed automatic gearbox mated to a Torsen centre differential.
Unlike its Continental siblings, the GTC won’t be breaking the 200mph barrier, though Bentley still claims an impressive ‘over 190mph’ top speed. It also boasts of an ‘ultra-stiff structure’ though no further details – such as Azure-style carbonfibre underfloor stiffening - have been announced.
Instead of the fashionable folding metal hardtop, the GTC sticks to a classic canvas hood with heated glass rear window. An electro-hydraulic mechanism folds the top beneath a leather-clad tonneau to reveal a sumptuous hide and timber cabin. For those who need more luxury, a Mulliner version is likely to follow.
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