Bentley Continental GT W12 -2013

Bentley Continental GT W12 -2013

few years ago, the latter choice might easily have involved Mercedes-Benz, Range Rover, or BMW—Ferraris, Lambos, and similar exotics are second cars, of course—but Bentley is deep in the throes of its renaissance. In the first six months of 2012 alone, the VW-owned boutique brand peddled 3929 vehicles worldwide. Not bad for a marque that nearly slipped into obscurity in the late 20th century, surviving largely on rebadged models co-opted from then parent company Rolls-Royce.

With Bentley securely reinserted into the lexicon of popular culture, we grabbed some seat time in a Continental GT W-12, the twin-turbo, twelve-cylinder version of the brand’s bestselling model. (A V-8–powered Conti GT was recently introduced as a more efficient starter kit for the brand.)