How can you make something as luxurious as a Bentley Continental GT most luxurious? Special colour, family crest in the seats, built-in caviar dish? That is probably all possible, although we fear that you will soon encounter the limits of good taste.
It is probably better to drop the magic word ‘Mulliner’ at your dealer, after which you experience how the ‘oldest still active coachbuilder in the world’ – nowadays just a Bentley division, you know – your noble coupé expanded and down to the smallest detail. just one step closer to perfection.
There are 88 different types of piano veneer to choose from and Bentley Continental GT V8 Mulliner has already put together eight stylish interior combinations for you, each with three colors of leather that compliment each other. If there’s nothing to your liking, you can of course put it together yourself – but see our warning in the previous paragraph. The entire (handmade) interior features 400,000 stitching, in two colors mixed up and in a unique ‘diamond-in-diamond’ pattern that took eighteen months to develop. The stitching, if you look closely, is directed exactly to the center in each diamond. We hope the sheikh-backs will be able to appreciate that technical trick.
How do you spot the Bentley Continental GT V8 Mulliner?
More striking are the special Mulliner grille, the Mulliner wheels with Bentley decals that stay upright, and the Mulliner logos that can be spotted everywhere from the headrests to the dashboard, the fenders and the door sills. The mirror caps (which of course project ‘Mulliner’ on the street) are made of satin silver. The eye-catching finish on the center console features a beautiful angular 3D pattern, and a Breitling clock adorns the vents. It is this kind of decoration and atmosphere that distinguishes this über-Conti GT from its ‘more ordinary’ brothers; In terms of technique, it is otherwise the same sheet a suit. And what a suit.
We drive with the V8
We now find the, shall we say, more accessible engine option – the 4.0-litre biturbo V8 – actually better suited the Continental GT than the W12. It gives it just that subtly frayed edge that you can take as a hint to Bentley’s sporting past, where the larger engine operates especially silky smooth. It saves 80 hp, but also a lot of money, and in terms of performance you have nothing to complain about with this V8.
He snores contentedly in the background with a handful of revs, until you kick him awake abruptly. Then you get to choose its gnawing soundtrack and you discover what it feels like to whiz from 0 to 100 in 4.0 seconds, seated on creamy, cloudy massage chairs in a colossus weighing almost 2,200 kilos. And possibly, if you are in a driver’s license-safe place, continue to a top of 318 km/h. The sensation is unparalleled.
The chassis of the Bentley Continental GT V8 Mulliner
On the Bentley Continental GT V8 Mulliner, Bentley installs Dynamic Ride as standard, which uses the air suspension when cornering to keep the sturdy body horizontal. This is done discreetly and subtly, because that’s how this brand operates: they don’t flaunt their technology and prefer to work imperceptibly. You’ll have a pack of driver assistants on board, from road centering to even night vision – but if you don’t want anything to do with them, they’ll never bother you. You even only have to switch off the lane assist once.
In the Continental GT Mulliner you are transported into your own dream world, but it does not have six-fold screens like an Audi and no virtual navigation like a VW. A loss in these times? Or does a car like this, full of the finer things in life, just not need something like this?
Specifications Bentley Continental GT V8 Mulliner: (2022)
engine
3,996 cc
V8 biturbo
550 hp @ 6,000 rpm
770 Nm @ 2,000 rpm
Drive
four wheels
8v automatic
Performance
0-100 km/h in 4.0 s
top 318 km/h
Consumption (average)
12.1 l/100 km
275 g/km CO2 G Label
Dimensions
4,850 x 2,187 x 1,450 mm (lxwxh)
2,851mm (wheelbase)
2.165 kg
90 l (petrol)
358 l (luggage)
Prices
€320,924 (NL)
€262,328 (B)
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