Bentley has always held a very special place in the common imagination of the western world. A place that at once conjures up images and feelings of luxury and enormous wealth, while at the same time reminding one of a sort of cartoonish wealth and luxury. Bentley essentially has the same aesthetics of the Monopoly Man on a winning streak, something in the curves, the cold steel and gun metal grey, ornate wheel wells, bright shimmering grills pushing into the elements, these images make Bentley so much more than a mere luxury vehicle.
All of this being said, Bentley has sort of dropped off of the radar in the last few years, or at least the last few years leading up to the past 10 months. Bentley has actually increased its sales 31% over the past 10 months or so. The United States, Bentley’s largest market, accounted for more than a quarter of the cars delivered, with sales up 36 percent. The largest increases, however, came in Germany and China, where sales are up by two-thirds. Bentley’s sales in China exceeded 1,000 for the first time in the brand’s history.
And this is all leading up to the sales floor release of the new 2012 Bentley Continental GTC later this year. One look at this beautiful luxury car and anyone can see that this design is a game changer, something that will forever change the pace in the luxury high end market. There is something special about this car. It is the sort of car you want to take a cross country road trip in. It is the sort of car you want to drive up the west coast in, stopping in California and Washington state to cruise on the beach, pacing in and out of the surf as the sun sets over the Pacific. This is the sort of vehicle you want to live the peak moments of life with.
Now for the specs: The original second-generation Continental GT had a massaged 6.0-liter W12 bi-turbo, pumping out 567 horsepower peaking at 6,000 rpm, and cranking forth 516 pound-feet of torque between 1,700 and 6,000 rpm. The 5,115-pound machine roared to 60 mph in a reported 4.4 seconds. The new 2012 Continental GTC Soft Top version weighs 5,500 pounds, gets to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and is electronically limited to 195 mph (seems like plenty of speed to us here at Vroom).
Phoenix Valley auto enthusiasts can view and test drive any current production model Bentley at Scottsdale Bentley. Phoenix Valley auto enthusiasts should plan on attending the Phoenix Arizona International Auto Show to learn about the most recent concepts and innovations in the luxury vehicle market from Bentley, as well as the rest of the auto industry, taking place at the Phoenix Arizona Convention center over Thanksgiving weekend.
