Frankly, with all that's going on in the world, it seems potty to suggest you consider buying a second-generation Bentley Continental GT or GTC (2011-2018).
Prices for an early W12 may start in the low-£20,000s but that's only part of the story. A cheap but once expensive car still has expensive tastes and a superficially attractive but neglected example could ruin you. That caveat out of the way, and assuming you are made of money and just have to get your hands on the best second-generation GT or GTC convertible you can afford, step this way because they're cracking motors, the likes of which we'll never see again.
The first-gen Continental of 2003-2011 was a runaway success. For the follow-up, again offered in GT coupé and GTC convertible forms, Bentley saw little reason to change the basic formula, save to offer the new models with a lighter, Audi-sourced, 500bhp twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 offering better fuel economy as an alternative to the existing 567bhp 6.0-litre W12. We were so impressed with its performance and the reduction in nose weight and consequent improvement in the GT's handling that we could see no reason to have the larger engine.
As before, power was sent to all four wheels, only this time with more of a rearward bias. There were other changes too. The former six-speed automatic gearbox acquired two additional gears while Bentley's engineers adopted the then very latest aluminium superforming production technology for the body, allowing the designers to craft sharper lines and more pronounced curves. While they were at it, they also slightly increased the track widths and the width of the body.
Inside, the new GT was largely business as usual, in a good way: few cabins are as plush and lovingly crafted as a Continental's. What changes there were included a smaller steering wheel to turn a slightly quicker steering rack and slimmed-down front seats with scalloped backs to provide rear passengers with a little more leg room than before. Autocar's testers found the new touchscreen infotainment unit wanting, but compared with today's systems anything from that era will now seem slow and dated. Mulliner was a popular trim level, bringing 21in wheels, diamond-quilted leather upholstery and drilled alloy pedals.
In time, the GT and GTC ranges expanded to include juicier variants in the form of the sportier 616bhp W12 Speed (it's very quick) and the 521bhp V8 S with sports suspension. For the facelift in 2015, both bodystyles gained revised front bumpers and new wheel designs. At the same time, the W12 engine acquired cylinder deactivation, which the V8 already had, and was uprated to 582bhp.
In 2017 the Continental Supersports arrived in GT and GTC forms, powered by a 700bhp version of the W12 paired with a quicker-shifting ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox. Few were sold and today prices start from around £70,000.
