Car review: New Bentley Continental GT revealed

Ultra-luxury carmaker Bentley has revealed its sportiest open-top car ever, the £175,000 Continental GT Convertible.

Claimed to have the most advanced 12-cylinder engine ever built, and created with wealthier London customers in mind, the new grand tourer will race from 0-60mph in just 3.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 207 mph.

Complete with hand-built interior, a convertible roof that sweeps open at the press of a button (on the move) in just 19 seconds, and with ‘neckwarmer’ vents to keep passengers warm even on the coldest days when the roof is down, the lavish new Bentley is powered by a big, six-litre W12((corr))engine.

Exterior roof colours - not for shrinking violets - include British Tweed, Blue, Claret and Grey, while a night-vision system is offered, using infra-red cameras to spot hazards missed by the naked eye.

The headlights and tail lights display an attention-grabbing ‘cut crystal’ effect, while the hand-crafted cabin is fitted with fine, sustainably-sourced veneers including exotic Fiddleback Eucalyptus, 20-way electrically adjustable seats and a potentially ear-splitting, window-shaking audio system harnessing the power of 18 different speakers on some models. The high-tech digital instrument panel can be fully personalised by the owner.

To improve fuel consumption and emissions in city traffic, half the engine closes down in what the manufacturer calls ‘defined conditions’.

Adrian Hallmark, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, said: “Elegant understatement that forces you to look; engineering excellence you’ll take for granted - the extraordinary breadth of capabilities offered by the new Continental GT Convertible is unique and can only be offered by our noble British brand.”