A short while back, Miranda and I were summoned by the Bentley powers-that-be to drive some of their latest automobiles (notice how I used automobiles when talking Bentley...).
Miranda was excited at the idea of cruising around in Big Bold British Bullocks Bentleys, but I was more of the mind that this was an opportunity to spend time at the wheel of cars that I've never driven before.
Like most car enthusiasts, I feel Bentleys are nice to behold, but they've never stirred up much in the form of emotions. I figure this is because of the brand's loooong standing history and the fact that, despite its racing heritage, these cars are not for “me”. Things got interesting in 2007 when the Continental GT Speed arrived, but where it all changed for me was in 2009 when the Supersports was announced.
Let's just say that it caught my attention. But I knew full well that I would never get an opportunity to drive that car... until now.
At this Bentley ride-and-drive of their new 2012 cars, there stood a 2010 Glacier White Supersports among the line-up of cars to be driven. Done!
And what a drive it was! This thing's got a twin-turbocharged 6.0L W12 engine pumping out a massive 621 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. It'll crush the 0-100 km/h mark in 3.9 seconds, thanks to massive grip upon take-off offered up by its sophisticated AWD system as well as 6-speed quickshift automatic transmission with funky long-armed paddle shifters located behind the steering wheel.
The car's lighter and angrier than the 2012 Conti GT I drove after it and is marvellously alive and almost mean-spirited. It goes, it handles, it stops and it's really, really loud.
As I drove around, I used every underpass and narrow street as an opportunity to rev the poop out of the 12-cylinder, sharing the car's angry roar with everyone within a few hundred feet. I went gaga for this car and it only took a 45-minute drive to induct it into my coveted Top 10 list of favourite cars. This car is so un-Bentley, but it's also all-Bentley.
Finally, I discovered a Bentley for me. Now my eyes have opened up to the brand. I'm hooked. I enjoyed my Mulsanne (yeah, I had to drive one...), but the Supersports knocked my socks off, made me drool and long for a bank account containing an extra $340,000 just to buy this car.
Thanks are in order to Decarie Motors (www.decarie.com), the kind purveyor of this car dreams are made of.
Miranda was excited at the idea of cruising around in Big Bold British Bullocks Bentleys, but I was more of the mind that this was an opportunity to spend time at the wheel of cars that I've never driven before.
Like most car enthusiasts, I feel Bentleys are nice to behold, but they've never stirred up much in the form of emotions. I figure this is because of the brand's loooong standing history and the fact that, despite its racing heritage, these cars are not for “me”. Things got interesting in 2007 when the Continental GT Speed arrived, but where it all changed for me was in 2009 when the Supersports was announced.
Let's just say that it caught my attention. But I knew full well that I would never get an opportunity to drive that car... until now.
At this Bentley ride-and-drive of their new 2012 cars, there stood a 2010 Glacier White Supersports among the line-up of cars to be driven. Done!
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And what a drive it was! This thing's got a twin-turbocharged 6.0L W12 engine pumping out a massive 621 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. It'll crush the 0-100 km/h mark in 3.9 seconds, thanks to massive grip upon take-off offered up by its sophisticated AWD system as well as 6-speed quickshift automatic transmission with funky long-armed paddle shifters located behind the steering wheel.
The car's lighter and angrier than the 2012 Conti GT I drove after it and is marvellously alive and almost mean-spirited. It goes, it handles, it stops and it's really, really loud.
As I drove around, I used every underpass and narrow street as an opportunity to rev the poop out of the 12-cylinder, sharing the car's angry roar with everyone within a few hundred feet. I went gaga for this car and it only took a 45-minute drive to induct it into my coveted Top 10 list of favourite cars. This car is so un-Bentley, but it's also all-Bentley.
Finally, I discovered a Bentley for me. Now my eyes have opened up to the brand. I'm hooked. I enjoyed my Mulsanne (yeah, I had to drive one...), but the Supersports knocked my socks off, made me drool and long for a bank account containing an extra $340,000 just to buy this car.
Thanks are in order to Decarie Motors (www.decarie.com), the kind purveyor of this car dreams are made of.