The Bentley Continental GTC 6.0 LITRE W12

Powered by a 6.0 litre W12 engine the new Bentley Continental GTC has been revised for 2012 to meet an ever demanding clientele.

The 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12 engine features ZF 6-speed automatic ‘QuickShift’ transmission enabling faster gear changes than ever before. Power has been increased from 560 PS to 575 PS and torque has been increased by 50 Nm to 700 Nm. This is enough to propel the Continental GTC 6.0 LITRE W12 from 0-62 mph in 4.8 seconds and then on to a top speed of 195 mph.

The W12 engine is capable of running on petrol, E85 bioethanol or any mix of the two – all from a single tank.

The GTC’s all-wheel drive system now features a new 40:60 rear torque bias (compared with 50:50 of the original GTC) which helps to minimise understeer during hard cornering and allowing a more spirited drive to managing the car’s line and balance via precise throttle control.

The hand-crafted interior now has the option of 17 standard soft-touch leather hide colours with six colour split combinations, blended with a range of seven veneers. The cabin of the GTC is even more practical, with additional rear legroom, new storage solutions and innovative features such as touch-screen infotainment, automatic seat-belt presenters and a Bentley-designed Neck Warmer for comfortable roof-down motoring whatever the temperature.

Available in eight colours the multi-layered fabric roof operation is complete in 25 seconds and will operate at speeds of up to 20 mph. It is complemented by acoustic glass and under-body panels, for optimum noise isolation to give the car the feel of the coupe with roof in place.

There is a new touchscreen, 30GB infotainment system which includes satellite navigation with dynamic route guidance, seven-digit postcode entry and Google Map compatibility.

You can opt for the Naim premium audio system that features 10 speakers and Dirac Dimension digital signal processing. An industry-first for Bentley, it creates a virtual ‘sound field’ independent of speaker layout for concert hall-quality sound reproduction for all seating positions.

The GTC also benefits from telephone and music player connectivity, digital television (where available) and DVD movie playback. Music can be played and controlled directly from an iPod as well as a six-disc CD changer, SD card reader or directly from the car’s hard drive, which can store up to 15GB of music.

We currently do not have pricing information or availability; we hope to bring you those shortly.