Car Guy Magazine Car Guy Magazine Issue 914 | Page 33

When a Bentley Continental GT Convertible
V8 pulls up to the Eagles Canyon Raceway
clubhouse, it’s only natural to wonder why
a boulevard cruiser is at a race track and
how the car can provide a thrill like a sports
car. Surrounded by pure racetrack, a 2.5mile road course circuit with 11 turns and
more than 70 feet of elevation changes, this
is not your typical drive through Highland
Park Village looking for that elusive parking
space in front of Café Pacific.
Then, you look at the numbers: 4.0-liter
twin-turbo V8, 500 horsepower, and 487
lb-ft of torque. Sounds fun...but only if you
have about 3,000 pounds to toss around. In
this case, you’re dealing with 5100 pounds.
My expectations were low because of
these seemingly unfavorable figures.
I have before me this beautifully
crafted machine with its legendary British
heritage and German engineering, and it
was impressive to the touch. The fit and
finish, the seats, the layout, the materials,
are everything you would expect from a
vehicle like this. Comfort and confidence.
You pus