Sierrastyle's Luxury Living - 50

RESPECTFUL LUXURY. . . The Bentley Continental GT The Continental GT is
instantly rec- every panel fits with a perfection rivaling any- ognizable
as a Bentley. No one seems thing in the world. The paint job alone takes
to mistake its presence anywhere, and with eight days to complete, from
first spray to that recognition comes a certain level of re- final hand
rub. It's this level of commitment spect. Not the envy that so many other
cars that provides the hallmark deep shine and bring out in people, but a
true, genuine and, smoothness not found elsewhere. these days, extremely
rare respect for a In concert with the overall craftsman- car. Maybe it's
because it stands about ship is the amazing piece of engineering un- three
inches taller than most cars on the der the hood. Designed by Volkswagen,
road, exuding a Daddy Warbucks de- the 12 cylinders are arranged in a
unique meanor that people inherently esteem. W shape as opposed to the
more com- First introduced in 2003, the Continental mon V configuration,
allowing for a shorter GT is an experience like no other. Inside, the
engine thus, a shorter front end. Swiss- boot shop smell, a standard of
any proper watch smooth, the 6.0-liter W12 is slightly motorcar, politely
smacks you in the nose. deceitful, for despite the seemingly polite The
sight of the well-rubbed wood veneers, nature that the car emanates, it
boasts a heavily polished aluminum appointments, monstrous near 600
horsepower rating and hand-stitched leathers make you glad thanks largely
to massive twin turbos. that people still craft cars these days, not Press
the START button and the en- just build them. Bentley uses more than 20-
gine springs to life effortlessly, with a sub- square-feet of unbleached
veneers, hand- tle growl, unmatched by any other car. A polished to a
mirror shine, offering a depth serious stab to the throttle and that growl
expected of the finest furniture in the world. changes to an open-throated
roar as the The leather is an amazing collection of roughly 5,500-pound
car rockets from a matched, Grade A hides, the highest rank- standstill to
60 mph in slightly less than 4.8 ing that leather can achieve. seconds.
This is about the same time of Most Bentley interiors require more than
sports cars featuring less interior room, a 40-square-feet of leather, all
selected and higher price of entry, and nowhere near the matched
simultaneously, allowing for an amount of panache that a Continental
extremely low variation in color, texture and lends. grain. It's why the
steering wheel leather Without fuss or strain, the car will quickly
closely matches that of the seat; they're pass 60 mph and approach 100
before from the same piece. Speaking of the anyone knows it. Hold 60 for a
while, mat steering wheel, the leather is double- the accelerator, and
without ruckus, the stitched by hand, requiring at least 15 hours big car
snaps to about 95 mph. According of labor to complete. to Bentley, the car
will top out at about 185 The paint and body of the GT proved mph.
Furthering the sporty nature, Bentley to be nothing short of perfection,
and for engineers have designed a transmission good reason. The new
Continental is as- allowing for Formula One-style paddle shift- sembled in
Crewe, UK, where the original ing or AutoStick-style floor-mounted shift-
Continentals were built. However, thanks ing. to company owner Volkswagen,
the plant The Bentley has only a few drawbacks is highly modernized,
allowing for robotic to speak of. One is the cup holder, which assembly
and human scrutiny, which is why is an unimpressive, plastic affair
located in 50 Sierrastyle's Luxury Living July/August 2006
Sierrastyle's Luxury Living

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