Continental shift

"PUFFERY" in advertising was one of the more interesting highlights in a recent court case over an ultra-luxury limousine but when it comes to the Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible, it is unlikely anyone will take exception to the words "exhilarating" and "civilised" used to refer to this large open-top car.

The GT Speed Convertible is an even more powerful version of the Continental GT Convertible, with the 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 engine tuned to produce 625 hp, or a 50 hp increase over the latter. It has maximum torque of 800 Nm but even more impressive than this eye-popping figure is that it is available between 2,000 and 5,000 rpm, which means that the GT Speed is almost always primed for take-off.

The W12 - a 12-cylinder engine arranged in a W configuration - drives all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Despite its large displacement, the power delivery is not brutish and the unit is quietly mellow as it burbles away discreetly when travelling at normal speeds. With the fabric