WATCH: Full Speed ahead for the new Bentley Continental GT

More than 10,000 cars left its showrooms and 2014 is already more than 20 per cent up on that. 

Keeping those sales buoyant is undoubtedly down in large part to Bentley’s familiar Continental GT, which it manages to reinvent constantly depending on the needs and wants of its buyers. 

There’s no question who this latest new GT Speed flagship will appeal to. As Bentley’s fastest ever production car with a 206mph top speed this is the ultimate Continental GT, even with the arrival later this year of the extreme limited edition GT3-R. 

At least it looks the part then. Sitting slightly lower than the standard Continental, the GT Speed also wears front and rear spoilers and side skirts, 21in wheels with red brake calipers and smoked front and rear lights, showing it means business. Those looks are backed up too with Bentley’s further tweaking of the 6.0-litre, twin-turbo W12 engine with an eye-watering 635bhp. 

The improvement from 560bhp in the original GT from 2003 is testament to the firm’s continued commitment to this engine along with its increased driveability, improved levels of grunt and reduced emissions. 

All that adds up to a 0 to 60mph time of just 4.0 seconds as well as that 206mph top speed (4.1 and 203mph for the Convertible). 

The fact that it can also get from standstill to 100mph in just 9.0 seconds, faster than many cars can get to 60mph, is little short of remarkable when you consider the GT Speed tips the scales at well over two tonnes. 

That weight is all too obvious as well with the 19.5mpg average fuel economy and 338g/km emissions. 

Not that most GT drivers are likely to be too concerned with the fuel economy when they finally get the car out on the road. 

Turn the key and the engine fires up into a lovely burble, just hinting at the performance available under your right foot. Initially the Bentley feels remarkably easy and sedate to drive. With so much grunt on offer, you’re never empty-handed for short bursts of power when overtaking or left in the wrong gear. 

No matter what cog you’re in or however fast you’re going, there is always a huge surge of power on tap immediately available. 

Yet if you’re not in the mood for racing then the big GT can be cossetting and transport you in the least amount of fuss and trouble. 

Start to press on however and a very different car emerges. That supple suspension has various setting levels between comfort and sport, meaning you can adapt the car according to road conditions. 

The fact that the GT Speed sits half an inch lower than the standard car doesn’t seem to make much difference when in comfort mode but in the full sport mode it can be a little harsh on anything other than glass-smooth surfaces. 

More importantly, as you begin to drive this Bentley harder the smaller it feels around you. 

OK, so you’re never fully unaware that this isn’t anything but a substantial car that’s hardly lightweight (especially the convertible) but it does become surprisingly nimble and easy to place on the road. 

No, you can’t ever cheat the measuring tape and on narrower roads its width is all too apparent but the GT turns in with a level of accuracy and precision that might raise a few eyebrows. 

Moreover the Bentley’s supremely powerful brakes and that effortless wave of acceleration always on tap mean that slingshotting your way out of a corner soon becomes the norm. 

Barrel up to a tight bend, stand hard on the anchors until the GT has scrubbed off all the speed you want, point the nose at the apex, then ease your way back on to the throttle until progressively pushing harder as you make your way out of the corner. 

All that with the symphonic soundtrack of that W12 engine in the background. It’s a dangerously addictive mix. The only slight downside is the fixed-position gearchange paddles behind the steering wheel.

This puts them out of reach when trying to change gear while having even a little steering lock on, which can get frustrating. 

How many Bentley GT Speed owners will really drive their cars this way? That’s debatable but as the pinnacle of the GT range the Speed has always enjoyed a strong following among Bentley fans, accounting for more than half of all W12-engined GT sales. 

That it can be driven like this is likely to be enough for many and that it does so well is a testament to Bentley’s talented engineers. 

One moment this can be a motor to keep many so-called sports cars honest down a country lane, the next you could drive it from London to Nice without a second thought yet still step out as fresh as if you’d just popped to the shops. The breadth of its talent is nothing if not substantial. 

It’s exactly that kind of flexibility GT owners want, while also revelling in the Bentley’s ace card, its interior. 

It’s a sure bet any potential owners touring the factory at Crewe and watching the painstaking work undertaken by the staff, especially when it comes to the leather elements of the interior or the wood shop where the veneers are prepared, will be absolutely convinced this is no ordinary car (see far right). 

Yes, other cars might offer similar performance or wear similar price tags but few can match the GT for its handcrafted excellence. 

Seeing the work done, makes you appreciate every stitch and every detail on the interior all the more. No wonder owners report that the GT’s interior is the car’s number one attribute. 

It would be easy to criticise the Continental GT Speed for not being extreme enough or not being different enough from the rest of the range, or indeed the Continental that is still so familiar from 2003. 

However the Speed’s driving experience, sheer pace and the flexibility of its talents on the road make it obvious that the GT remains as desirable as it ever was.  

LOGBOOK LOWDOWN 

Model: Bentley Continental GT Speed 

Price range: £156,700 - £172,400 

Engine: Petrol – 6.0-litre turbo

Power: 0 to 60mph in 4.0 seconds, 206mph top speed 

Average fuel economy: 19.5mpg

CO2 emissions: 338-3 47g / km Rivals: Aston Martin DB9, Ferrari California 

Rating: 9/10