Y - June 14, 2011 - Issue 174 - Y-oman.com

A Bentley for Break fast
Words Kiran Jay Haslam | Photography Jerzy Wierzbicki
“I’ll have a cup of English breakfast tea please, thank you.” I
smiled at the waitress. A definite foray into unchartered territory
for me; these days you’d normally see me sipping an espresso.
Or two. Or three! But it is here, within the confines of the
Shangri-La’s glorious grounds, that I am indulging in quite a
spectacular breakfast, of the ‘continental’ kind.
Freshly squeezed juice. Now, this article is my
very last editorial piece for Y Magazine. So, in an effort to go
out in a somewhat spectacular fashion, I thought long and hard
about what my parting car review should be. Should I write about
a rather rare Porsche? A flamboyant Italian roadster? A French
pocket-rocket? In the years I have spent behind various wheels
in the Gulf, I have driven just about every luxurious supercar out
there - and a whole bunch of high-end fluff, too: Astons, Ferraris,
Porsches, Rolls Royce, Lamborghinis. Some more manic than
others, some astoundingly charming in their own quaint little
way. However, I felt I needed to bid thee farewell with the only
car that has stolen my heart and astounded my automobile
sensibilities. Yep, it’s a Bentley.
The first time I experienced the new Continental
GT I was lucky enough to be in the car with
one of its creators - Member of the Board of
Bentley Motors and Engineering wizard, Dr.
Ulrich Eichhorn. What a great way to understand
the vehicle’s dynamics and pick up on nuances
that would otherwise go unnoticed. Instead of
getting all giggly over the 567hp ‘W’ configured
6.0-litre bi-turbo 12-cylinder and focusing solely
on the 700Nm power delivery from the insanely
fast ‘Quickshift’ transmission - that now sees
gear change times slashed by 50 percent - the
pivotal centre’s ability to shift at the mercy of a
damper control function pretty much dominated
our conversation. It plays a key role in making
the 2.3 ton GT feel about 500kgs lighter and
unbelievably agile. So agile, in fact, that I’d gladly
select Bentley’s 2011 Continental GT for a spot of
spirited weekend fun, over and above anything
else out there.
‘The Bentley Continental GT is
an archetype of the ‘automobile
collective unconscious’, from
which every other supercar
merely pays homage.'