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The 2006 Bentley Continental GTC is an amazing two-door luxury grand tourer with sports car-like performance.

Bentley is known to make some of the most luxurious and fast automobiles the world has ever seen. They have a racing lineage and an extended heritage of building some of the most exquisite cars. Few companies focus on outright performance and speed, and some companies focus on pure luxury and the superior in-cabin experience. Bentley uses the best of both as their vehicle can seat four people in atmosphere comfort while going 200 MPH at the same time without breaking a sweat.

The Bentley Continental GT got introduced in 2003 and, since then, launched in a few other body styles. The 2003 model was a two-door coupe followed by the flying spur, a four-door sedan, in 2005 and 2006. Bentley released the convertible version of the Continental GT named GTC. All these vehicles had state-of-the-art 12-cylinder engines and were amazingly styled. The GTC had a fabric roof and gave an open-air driving experience.

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The Bentley Continental range used a 6 liter twin-turbo W12 engine that produced a power figure of 550 HP and 479 lb-ft of torque. This power was enough to push around two and a half-ton of British cars from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.8 seconds. The continental GTC was incredibly heavy for a convertible as it was not an outright sports car, but it still managed to perform like one. To compare these power figures with some other sports cars launched around the same time, The Aston Martin DB9 did 0-60 MPH in 4.6 seconds, and the Audi R8 would do the same in 4.4 seconds. The Bentley Continental GTC weighed nearly a ton heavier than those vehicles and could keep up with them in a straight line and even in corners. The car sent power to all four wheels, providing optimum traction in any driving situation. It came with a 6-speed automatic transmission, and it had precise and crisp shifts to make sure that the car always stayed in the correct power band. A light flex on the right foot and the vehicle would charge towards the horizon relentlessly; moreover, it had a very spirited exhaust note and made the driving experience even better with the top down.

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Since the vehicle had a body style of a convertible, some changes were needed for the suspension and body works of the vehicle. The A-pillar of the vehicle required to be reinforced to increase structural rigidity, the rear suspension of the car got completely redesigned, and the shock absorber mounts lowered nearly by 210mm. These changes resulted in the vehicle gaining about 200 pounds of weight on the already heavy vehicle. The Bentley Continental GT was a handsome-looking car, and the GTC was no different. The automobile and the brand represent status and luxury along with effortless performance.

The front grill was enormous, and as it finished in Chrome accordingly, it gave the car a royal stance; along with the quad beam headlamps upfront, the vehicle had a good-looking face. The car's roof was finished and fabricated, which made the vehicle look good while the top was up. The roof mechanism worked even while the vehicle was on the go and could fall down the top at the speed of 20 MPH, and the process took nearly 25 seconds. Bentley chose a fabric top because it occupied less space and helped keep the weight down. The use of fabric did not compromise the sound insulation to challenge the weather protection of the vehicle in any way. The GTC, however, was down on its top speed from 195 MPH to 190 MPH when the top was down as the engineers at Bentley discovered that above 160 MPH, the air pressure shifted towards the back of the car resulting in increased drag and the lower top speed.

Since the GTC was a Grand tour, it had very comfortable seats and a large boot that could store enough luggage for a weekend. The vehicle had a few old-school design elements, like the push-pull vent controls for the climate control and the dip set gauges on the dashboard. The car made good use of words and real metal throughout the cabin. The metal elements on the vehicle were found on the Windows, which are on the door and the door handle, along with the driver’s pedal, which gave the vehicle a very premium feel. The controls on the interior were a bit complex but can quickly master by a glance at the owner's manual. The vehicle could seat two people comfortably, since the backseat was not big enough to fit full-size adults.

The Bentley Continental GTC was a fantastic vehicle, and it featured a convertible roof that gave the driver a very open-air experience that was hard to match in any other vehicle that provided speed and luxury at the same time.

Sources- which cars, Car magazine, Supercars

A silent soul who dares to dream, Vrushali Padia is passionate about writing ever since her college days and has written in diverse niches. She is now an Electronics Engineer and a Writer. When she is not writing, she's exploring.