Revised Bentley GTC at the Motor Show
Sharper style, fancier cockpit – and Mulliner spec for the GT
By Shahzad Sheikh
Bentley’s star at the Dubai International Motor Show is the Continental GTC, but whilst this is the official debut, there are already firm orders for the car across the region. The GT Coupe was revised last year and GTC follows its lead with a similar raft of changes.
The four-seater luxury convertible features a new, even more spacious and sumptuous hand-crafted cabin, with soft-touch leather hides, an extensive range of wood veneers, cool-touch metals and deep-pile carpets, all produced by Bentley’s talented craftsmen and women.
There’s a more powerful 6.0 litre, twin-turbocharged W12 engine as well as a new QuickShift transmission, enabling faster gear changes than ever before.
Wolfgang Dürheimer, Chairman and Chief Executive, Bentley Motors, said “The GTC has always been the most emotional model in the Continental range and a showcase for Bentley design. With its tailored soft top, the GTC is a pure British convertible true to those classic Bentleys of the past. However, the technology, performance and overall design excellence invested in this model means that we are now writing a new chapter for the Bentley convertible driver.”
Also making its Middle East debut is the new Continental GT fitted with a new Mulliner Styling Specification. Customers can personalise their GT including the option of fitting an exterior bodykit. Yet all the styling packages have been subjected to a rigorous development programme which included a comprehensive quality and engineering test.
With the new GTC and the GT, plus the all-new Mulsanne Bentley expects to sell 7000 cars in 2011 – that a year-on-year increase of around 40%. The Bentley Mulsanne continues to do exceptionally well in the Middle East and accounts for 15% of the worldwide sales.
