We caught a glimpse of the 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but the details were still a little scattered. Bentley has been planning an official debut of its new flagship performance coupe at the Moscow Motor Show on the 29th of August, but it chose to release the information on this upcoming model a little early.

We just got our hands on the full press release from Bentley->ke15 and we are rather impressed with what this ultra-luxury car builder has done with this coupe, on the surface. What really matters is what's down deep inside the cracks and crevices of this super coupe.

With this new information in hand, we are prepared to give you a full look at the upcoming sports coupe a full week before it ever hits the international auto shows. We'll also pit it against like models – though there are few cars like the GT Speed – and let you know which looks better on paper.

Click past the jump to read our full review on the 2013 Continental GT Speed.

bentley-continental-gt-speed

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: bentley-continental-gt-speed
Pros
Cons

2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed
  • Engine/Motor: W12
  • Horsepower: 616 @ 6000
  • Torque: 590
  • Transmission: 8-speed auto ZF
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

The outside of the Continental GT Speed does a great job combining Bentley class with “Get outta my way” aggressiveness. The elegant shapes of the Continental GT Speed are derived from the standard Bentley DNA, including the dual-circle front lights, bulging wheel wells, and classic Bentley grille. The grilles on this new GT Speed are not the typical chrome plated, as they have a dark tint. The lower grille and air intakes pay a tribute to the Le Mans-winning Bentleys from the 1920s and cap off the front appearance of this luxury sports coupe.

The Continental GT Speed screams “stay out of my path” by the way of its short-for-a-Bentley hood, shallow-raked front fascia and windshield, and its fastback rear end. Its side profile is far and away the most telling of this car's speed-greedy personality, as it sits right on the border of the sports car realm without quite crossing over into that area. This is a balancing act that requires great care in craftsmanship.

Bentley used advanced super-forming technology to create the fenders, which is a system that uses high heat and pressurized air, as opposed to hard molds, to create the shapes. This gives the body a fluid and flawless look that is unrivaled. The entire body is formed from aerospace-grade 5083 aluminum alloy.

The signature fat fenders are filled by 9.5J x 21-inch ten twin-spoke rims. You can rest assured that Bentley took care of you with the rims, as these are exclusive to the 2013 GT Speed. The rims are available in a smorgasbord of color options, ranging from bright paint to dark finishes.

The rear of the 2013 GT Speed features a set of rifled exhaust tips that are integrated with the rear bumper. Helping add to that sexy rear end is a chrome border around each taillight lens.

For buyers that just don't think a Bentley is good enough as is, you can now opt for a “Classic Pack,” which adds in carbon-fiber front bumper grille strakes, a front splitter, side sill extension blades, and a rear bumper diffuser. This package also includes carbon-fiber mirror cowls and 21-inch “Elegant” wheels in a black finish.

You can get the GT Speed in the standard 17 colors available on any Continental model, but you can also opt for about 100 additional paint options. You can even go as far as sending the car to Bentley's Bespoke department for some custom work, which Bentley put on display at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours.

Interior

On the inside, Bentley again toed that fine line between luxury and sport. The designers at the boutique automaker definitely knocked this one out of the ballpark. You'll be sitting on some of the softest and most supple cow's hide while you whip this big coupe `round back roads. Polished veneer inserts and cool-touch metals just polish off the amazing attention to detail put into the GT Speed.

The 2013 GT Speed will come standard with Bentley's Mulliner Driving Specification. This typically optional addition includes diamond-quilted perforated leather seats, door trims, and rear quarter panels. Indented leather rests above your head, affixed to the headliner and you can even opt for embroidered “Bentley” insignias on the seats.

On the dashboard, you will notice a plethora of overlapping circles. These are officially known as “engine spin” and has roots in the “Old Number One,” which is the Speed Six that earned two Le Mans 24 Hour titles. You can get this “engine spin” feature in a bright aluminum or in dark-tint aluminum, which matches up perfectly to the dark tint on the front grilles, tying the inside and outside together.

There are 17 different colors to choose from on the inside. On the 2013 GT Speed, you can also opt for dual-color splits. You can also get contrasting stitching throughout the entire car, even the steering wheel.

Technology

Oh, Bentley just didn't load up the interior with beautiful leather and metal trim, it also packed the GT Speed with an array of technological features. First thing you'll notice is that there is an all-new 8-inch touchscreen on the bottom of the center stack, which displays the GT Speed's audio system, telephone, ride settings, and navigation information. Also new is a 30 GB on-board infotainment system with DVD- or hard-drive-based satellite navigation.

The standard sound system in the GT Speed will be an 8-speaker variant with Balance Mode Radiator technology – an advancement that combines the low-frequency performance of traditional speakers with the wider directivity, shallow profile and sound quality of a flat-panel speaker. It boasts unique flat-panel speakers that pump out supremely clear audio across the full spectrum of sound. An 11-speaker Naim system is an optional feature on the GT Speed.

There are multiple music-storage mediums for the GT Speed. You can opt to connect your iPod straight to the GT Speed's stereo system, put CDs in the CD changer, insert an SD card, or load up to 15 GB of music directly onto the car's hard drive.

Technology was never an area that Bentley fell short on, but they definitely added more to the pot with these additions.

Engine

At the heart of the new Continental GT Speed, Bentley has put in an updated version of the company’s 6-liter, 48-valve, four-cam, twin turbocharged W12 engine. In the new model, this engine delivers a total of 616 HP at 6000 rpm and a peak torque of 590 lbs-ft. This amount of power is enough to deliver supercar performance numbers: a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 4.0 seconds and a top speed of 205 mph (329 km/h).

The engine is mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission featuring intelligent adaptive control software to ensure the perfect combination of speed and refinement. This new system also helps lower the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by about 12%. The new GT Speed is also offered with a permanent all-wheel drive system, employing a central Torsen differential that ensures huge levels of grip and stability whatever the road or weather conditions.

Fuel and Emissions

The W-12 engine under the GT Speed's hood is not only powerful, but relatively clean and efficient. It gets a very respectable combined 19.5 mpg. It's CO2 emissions are rather acceptable too, at 338 g/km. Both of those numbers are really not something you are too concerned about if you are considering a Bentley, but they can give you piece of mind.

Handling

The GT Speed has to again find that healthy balance between sporty and comfortable when dealing with its handling and it looks as if Bentley achieved this. The GT Speed retains its basis suspension setup from last year – aluminum double-wishbone front and trapezoidal multilink rear – but there is one revision. This revision is to its air-springs and damper, which give it better agility and control, as it limits pitch, roll, and heave.

The GT Speed's self-leveling system is always keeping a close eye on the ride height and dampers, and makes adjustments as needed. Bentley engineers also dropped the ride height of the GT Speed 10 mm (0.393 inches) to help lower its center of gravity. Stiffer suspension bushings translate a little more road feel to the cabin without compromising comfort – a tall task to achieve.

The electronic stability control (ESC) was revised to work more efficiently with the new engine management system. It also carries over the “Dynamic” mode from the last rendition of the GT Speed, allowing for a little more tire smoldering, if you please.

The Bentley is propelled via an all-wheel-drive system that helps enhance its handling capabilities. Keeping an AWD car in a good steering line is a common complaint and Bentley addressed this by tuning the AWD system to allow 60 percent of the engine's power to the rear wheels. This eliminates the understeer issues that haunt AWD cars, while allowing the driver to better control the GT Speed via throttle feathering.

The GT Speed comes standard with disc brakes all around, of course. The front rotors measure 405 mm (15.94 inches) in diameter and are ventilated, and the ventilated rear rotors measure 335 mm (13.19inches). Squeezing the pads onto these discs are cast-iron 8-piston calipers. You can opt for additional braking performance by opting for the 420 mm (16.53-inch) rotors on the front and 356 mm (14.01-inch) rotors on the rear. These optional rotors are cross drilled carbon silicon-carbide (CSiC) and save 20 kg (44 lbs) over the standard brakes. To boot, these CSiC do not fade with heat and Bentley claims that they will last the life of the car under normal driving conditions and double brake pad life.

Bentley definitely went above and beyond to make sure that this 5,115-pound GT Speed handles and stops like a sports car.

Pricing and Availability

Deliveries for the new Bentley Continental GT Speed will begin in October 2012. Prices will begin at $220,725, which includes a $2,725 destination charge and a $3,000 gas-guzzler tax.

Options

Price

Carbon Ceramic Brakes

$13,600

Naim Audio System w/11 speakers

$7,155

Hand-threaded stitching on seats

$3,540

Liquid-Metal Exterior Paint Finish

$34,310


Competition

When people say Bentley, others automatically think of Rolls Royce as being the obvious competitor. Still, in this case, we couldn’t find a Rolls Royce model that delivers the same level of performance. The previous generation took on models like the Aston Martin DBS->ke1479, so it would be a logical assumption that the new Vanquish would be a direct competitor for the new GT Speed. The fact that these two models were launched on the same day was no accident!

Expect the Vanquish to have a sportier appearance when compared to the GT Speed, even if it only delivers a total of 565 HP to go up to a top speed of 186 mph.