BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GTC S

TESTED 20.3.23, WORCESTERSHIRE ON SALE NOW

- MATT SAUNDERS

The Mk3 Bentley Continental is diversifying as it gets older. Specialising, you might say. Having appeared in simpler W12 and V8 guises, it now comes in V8, Azure, S, Speed and Mulliner forms, each one a car of slightly different priorities. And before you get to all of that, of course, you still need to decide whether you want a GT coupé or a GTC convertible.

The S is the joker in the pack: a GT which has a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that's sweeter-revving and more demonstrative of character than the long-serving (and retirement bound) 6.0-litre W12 but which also has just the right cabin and systems specs to optimise its driver appeal.

Crewe presented the idea midway through the Mk2 GT's life (2014) and it proved a winner right off the bat, becoming our favourite Continental.

The funny thing is, mechanically at least, there isn't much that would separate a new S from a regular V8 with just the right options. It simply gains 48V active and automatically detaching anti-roll bars (dubbed Bentley Dynamic Ride) as standard, a choice of 21in or 22in alloy wheels, red brake calipers, and a specially tuned active sports exhaust for an added dose of audible charisma.

The adaptively damped air suspension and power steering systems are calibrated just as in the other V8 and the active torque-vectoring rear differential and four-wheel steering systems of the GT Speed have been left on the shelf.

So this is a GT that Bentley aims to give a marginal but noticeable return on driver appeal and not to undermine the case for ownership of any of the pricier GT derivatives.