As an influx of English cars parade through Carlisle, Pennsylvania, for the British-themed Import-Kit/Replicar show at the Fairgrounds, one car stood out from the rest, an ultra-luxury vehicle that carries the winged-B badge of James Bond’s first car.
Most 007 fans believe that the Bond car is an Aston-Martin, but before James Bond drove an Aston-Martin (in Ian Fleming’s books), he drove a Bentley. In fact (actually, in Fleming’s fiction), the secret agent owned three Bentleys in the course of the 14 original novels written by Fleming. In “Thunder Ball,“ Fleming goes into great detail to describe Bond’s specially designed Pewter Bentley. In the latest post-Fleming Bond novel, “Devil May Care,“ published to coincide with the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth, 007 once again is behind the wheel of a Bentley.
Cruising the Carlisle Borough, touring Pennsylvania and Maryland interstates, winding through farm country and making an appearance at the Shippensburg High School senior prom, was my elegant test ride, the 2008 Bentley Continental GTC convertible that the carmaker describes as: “Pure Passion. Bentley Style.“ Hushed whispers of “That’s a Bentley,“ greeted us wherever we traveled during the seven-day examination of this stunning vehicle.
I had the pleasure of putting this ultra-luxury vehicle through its paces and I found that lavishness is only part of the Bentley equation. True to its racing history, this Bentley is also a powerful, fast, smooth-handling driver’s car.
So it was of little surprise that under the bonnet (hood, in America) of the stylish Continental GTC is a thundering, powerful, 552-hp 6.0-liter twin turbocharged, 12-cylinder Bentley engine that also gallops out 479 lbs.-ft. of torque. That is enough sheer force to race the 5478-lb. rolling fortress from zero-to-60mph in 4.9 seconds. During one test, I covered the quarter-mile in a smooth and quiet 13.3 seconds.
The power comes at a price – fuel consumption. EPA rated at 10mpg in the city and 17mpg on the highway, and subject to a gas guzzler’s tax, I was able to coax a 15.7mpg average during my tests that saw more highway miles than town and country time behind the wheel.
Brute strength aside, the Bentley is, as one would expect, a four-wheeled mansion. Built in Crewe, England, the GTC is 189.1 inches long, 65.5 inches wide and 55 inches high, and is fluid class and grace from its Bentley matrix grille and winged-B badge, to its round and athletic build, liquid sides and trunk (“boot” in England). On top of my specially painted Arnage Tungsten Bentley was a Claret soft-top (fabric) roof that powers up or down and stows and locks in 25 entertaining seconds. Woven into the exterior package are twin bi-xenon headlights with integrated washer jets, rear LED tail-lighting, twin oval stainless steel tail pipes and 19-inch 5-spoke alloy sports wheels.
Also engineered into the exterior is a rear spoiler styled into the boot lid to improve stability at high speeds; and at triple-digit speeds on the track, or speed-limit and passing speeds on the interstate, the 2008 Bentley Continental GTC is velvety, steady, calm and noiseless.
Stability control with a "sport traction" mode, all-wheel drive with Torsen center differential, wishbone independent front suspension with stabilizer bar and air springs, multi-link independent rear suspension with stabilizer bar and air springs, automatic front and rear suspension leveling and exquisite balance make for an outstanding driving experience.
Safety and confidence come from the low center of gravity, reinforced exterior, ventilated disc brakes with ABS, driver and front passenger front- and side-impact air bags, passenger sensing and roll-over protection with rear seat roll-over bars.
The rolling mansion’s interior could be an entire article unto itself. Suffice it to say, it doesn’t lack for anything. The cabin is extravagant and roomy. Headroom measures 37.0 inches in front and 36.6 behind; leg room is 42.3 and 30.2, with shoulder room of 59.4 inches and 56.8.
Now, the navigational and infotainment systems are not as user-friendly as I would prefer and the ergonomics are not as intuitive as I would have liked, but Beluga baseball glove leather, dark-stained Burr Walnut veneer, air conditioning with climate control and rear outlet, RDS audio system with Sirius satellite radio, Bluetooth, information computer, heated, electrically adjustable driver and passenger active/massage seat with height adjustment, lumbar adjustment and thigh support and more than two-dozen additional accouterments create an automotive experience unlike any other.
The GTC’s base price is a substantial $193,990, but the luxury and luxury price don’t stop there.
Option charges are $4090 extra for the classy Arnage Tungsten exterior paint, $8940 for the interior Mulliner driving specification, $1230 for the rear view camera (an excellent addition to last year’s model), $990 for contrast stitching in the seats, $640 for veneer inserts in the door and rear quarter panels, $490 for the two-tone hide-trimmed multi-function steering wheel, $440 for deep-pile carpet mats with hide trimming, $3290 for the “Bentley” name embossed on seat facings, $290 for a Mulliner alloy fuel filler cap, destination charges of $2595 and a $3700 gas guzzler tax for a bottom line of $217,785.
Bond knew what he was doing all along.
Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.
Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.
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