[Auto] New Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible 2021 review

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In coupe or convertible form, the Speed adds more power and performance to the already compelling Continental GT package. Its chassis is as capable and borders on witchcraft, especially when the ride and refinement are well beyond anything that its rivals can compete with. Throw in the sublime interior and incredible materials and quality, and it’s a genuinely difficult car to fault.We’ve never had any complaints about the amount of power Bentley’s two-door Continental GT puts out, but that hasn’t stopped its engineers from adding more - at 650bhp, this is the most potent version of the current generation of the car.We’ve already sampled the coupe on a racetrack, so now it’s time to find out if that sharper, more focussed feel we discovered at Silverstone translates onto the road - in convertible and coupe body styles. That headline figure is 24bhp more than the existing W12 model - which the Speed effectively replaces in the UK line-up. The bump in output is achieved courtesy of software tweaks, and similar attention has been applied to the gearbox, resulting in 50 per cent faster shift speeds. Torque remains the same at 900Nm, covering a huge spread of revs from 1,500rpm right the way up to 5,000rpm. Drive is sent to all four wheels.  Hard acceleration is accompanied by a deep guttural roar at lower revs, which transforms into an angry howl towards the red line. It’s not as goosebump-inducing as a Ferrari V12, but it still has plenty of presence. Go for the optional Akrapovic exhaust, and it gets more aggressive still, introducing a few crackles from the twin pipes on the overrun.That power is kept in check by new carbon-ceramic brake discs gripped by 10-piston calipers. At 440mm in diameter, they’re the largest fitted to any road car, and only just squeeze behind the (also vast) 22-inch alloy wheels. Not only is their stopping power enormous, but unlike some carbon set-ups which can feel grabby, they offer plenty of progression - they’re just as happy coming to a smooth stop on the road as they are hammering around a race track. They save a significant 33kg of unsprung mass relative to the standard set-up, too.In most situations on the road, it’s hard to believe that the GT weighs as much as it’s claimed to. As before, there’s three-chamber air suspension and a 48-volt electrical system which controls an active anti-roll set-up. For the GT Speed, Bentley has introduced a new electronic rear differential - the first for the brand - rear wheel steering and variable electronic stability control. It reckons all of this should add up to a more agile driving experience, yet one which maintains the typical Bentley stability and control.