First Drive: Bentley Continental GT V8

Bentley is going green, with the ‘red label’ Continental GT V8. It may use less fuel but it’s even more of a car. There was some smart thinking at work on the launch of the Bentley Continental GT V8. We were to get our hands on the car for the first time at Northern Spain’s Circuito de Navarra, an FIA GT-spec track that’s about as new and pristine as any on the planet. But not before a briefing upstairs in the super-modern control tower.

As we sipped coffee and waited, a harmonious bellow surrounded and filled the room. What… it can’t be… it was – three Continental GT V8s, being driven round in formation, by Bentley’s three tame racing drivers. Red, silver and blue: just the merest suggestion of The Italian Job, as they howled and slid around in purposeful abandon.

And as much as it was a spectacle, it was the noise that was the most astounding part. The V8s sounded exceptional, all wail, howl, bellow and, under hard braking, audible exhaust crackle too. We were impressed. “Don’t forget, this room is all triple glazed” added an official. It gets better, then? You’d better believe.

The 500hp Continental GT V8 is the fruition of four years’ hard work by Bentley and Audi. Yes, this is a co-developed engine, designed to suit A6s and A8s just as comfortably as it suits Conti GTs (plus whatever else Bentley decides to put it in…). Even the twin turbocharger units, mounted ‘hot side inside’ within the engine’s vee, are shared. But Bentley’s had its say, loudly, and there are still distinct differences between the two