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Went for a test drive in the Bentley GT

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Old May 14, 2004 | 10:35 PM
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Thumbs up Went for a test drive in the Bentley GT

Went for a test drive in the Bentley Continental GT today. Wow the car is so well built, the power was very, very impressive and the exhaust note was excellent. The fit and finish is up to MB standards and far exceeds anything Bentely has done in the past. The car has fully adjustable suspension and looks incredible in person, I think it's a though choice between a CL65 and the GT. The car was a midnight metallic blue with two tone dark blue and chamios hydes complemented by dark blue carpets. The 19" rims were awesome. What a car MSRP of this one was $180,000. There is only a handful of options.
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Old May 15, 2004 | 11:57 AM
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Nice!
Got any pics to share?
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Old May 15, 2004 | 03:25 PM
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No sorry. But all US Bentley dealer should have the demos by now. Go check it out in person and insist on a test drive
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Old May 15, 2004 | 06:14 PM
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180,000?

What happened to the $149.950 MSRP?
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Old May 15, 2004 | 09:40 PM
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The car had a few options 19's special woods and a few other options I don't recall. The sticker was 180,000.00 and I don't remember seeing a dealer add on but maybe I missed it. Thed dealer was Braman in West Palm Bch Fl.
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Old May 16, 2004 | 10:18 AM
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'05 E55TK, '00 Brabus/Kleemann 5.8 GCab, '05 CLK DTM
2 GT's on the Gumball and my thoughts...

I blew by them a few times in my 55Kleemann. Not much of a comparison performance wise. They didn't even try to keep up when the road started winding. Sat inside and spent a few minutes...of course the interior is gorgeous but the back seat is almost non-existent. How can both the CL and the GT be considered 2+2 when no normal sized person could fit in the back of the Bentley? I had three people plus luggage in my CL maintaing very good speeds.
Have a GT on order but may end up cancelling as the only plus I can give to it over the 55 is exclusivity. With that in mind, after the Rally was over, I saw two GT's driving around downtown London.
Besides after sitting in the CL65 and starting the motor... --- I think we have a winner.
Keep in mind that I've heard from reputable sources about the CL73 being released with the 7.3 liter Zonda engine by the end of the year.
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Old May 16, 2004 | 11:48 AM
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There was ample room in the back seat as long as the driver up front did not have the seat way back. The power of the GT was very strong with the twin turbo 552 hp W-12 acheiving 0-60 in 4.7 according to the literature from the factory. As with most turbo's a significant power boost is just an ecu away. I don't think most people will be buying this car to drive around a track.
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Old May 16, 2004 | 11:23 PM
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'05 E55TK, '00 Brabus/Kleemann 5.8 GCab, '05 CLK DTM
sorry, no ample room in the back if the driver/passenger is 6'+

i'm sure the power delivery is great in the GT, but they couldn't keep up with my car...that's all I'm sayin.
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Old May 16, 2004 | 11:29 PM
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Taller than 6' will make for a very tight fit. How do you know for certain that they were even interested in catching you?
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Old May 17, 2004 | 01:39 AM
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'05 E55TK, '00 Brabus/Kleemann 5.8 GCab, '05 CLK DTM
my point exactly...6' driver/passenger leaves for no room in back

and I think what gave the performance difference away was the Turbo, 360, and GT all falling away in the rear view. Believe me, if they could have caught up/kept up, they would have.
Not trying to start a fight here. As I said, I'm on the list for the GT but the only pro I can put in the Bentley's court is the exquisite materials used on the interior and the possibility for tuning upgrades. If ecu/airflow/turbo upgrades are possible in the Bentley, I'm sure the sky is the limit with 12 cylinders available for displacement. However, with the Kleemann stage 2 upgrade, I'm already at 600hp and probably capable of another 50+hp going up to stage 3-4.
I think a key would be whether the Bentley can keep traction in the lower gears. My CL certainly has a harder time with that.
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Old May 17, 2004 | 09:37 PM
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No worries, I was just curioius if the GT pilots were truly pushing it to the limit.

Thanks,
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Old May 23, 2004 | 03:58 AM
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sweet
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Old May 23, 2004 | 03:24 PM
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That car is Brand new.They probably just got the car and they had to observe the brake in period.. I doubt they put on 1k miles on a gt already. It gets 12 mpg...
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Old May 29, 2004 | 08:18 AM
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Re: 2 GT's on the Gumball and my thoughts...

Originally posted by silversurfer

Keep in mind that I've heard from reputable sources about the CL73 being released with the 7.3 liter Zonda engine by the end of the year.
The 73 engine is an old engine though no? And it only has 555bhp. I don't see the need for this engine since they have the 65's. Unless they Bi-Turb it to like 700brake.
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Old May 29, 2004 | 10:57 AM
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There is no mention or spy news of a CL73. The 7.3 engine is about 10 years old, why would you want such a heavy engine upfront anyways?

The Zonda at the end of this year will be getting a a power upgrade, reputable sources say though it won't be from AMG...

If there was any need for a car to succeed the 65's, then a boost in turbo pressure is the only safest and easiest option.
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Old May 31, 2004 | 10:26 PM
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I also saw and heard that Bentley GT at Braman in West Palm Beach while i was picking up a new X5. As i was leaving in my SL55 we both stared at each other's cars. The Bentley seemed alot smaller than i would have thought. Nice car though.

T
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Old May 31, 2004 | 10:45 PM
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Originally posted by Doctodd33
I also saw and heard that Bentley GT at Braman in West Palm Beach while i was picking up a new X5. As i was leaving in my SL55 we both stared at each other's cars. The Bentley seemed alot smaller than i would have thought. Nice car though.

T
If you have the opportunity, take the demo out for a spin. How's the X5?
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Old Jun 1, 2004 | 10:55 AM
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The problem I have with the Bentley GT is that I would be paying around $180,000 and would expect to be exclusive in the respect that I won’t come across another GT when I’m driving. Sadly, here in London I usually see about two to three Bentley GTs a day on the other hand when driving a CL55, CL65, S55, E55 I would feel quite sure that I wont see a lot of them around. u can see that excluded the SL55 because its all over the place like ants


BTW this is my opinion of the car nevertheless, the Car LQQS amazing
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Old Jun 1, 2004 | 05:22 PM
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I do not recall the numbers, but I believe that GT production will far outnumber either the CL55 or, of course, the CL65. Seems to me that I saw the GT production run numbers in the Autoweek article that first reveiwed the new Bentley at least several months ago.
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Old Jun 1, 2004 | 06:29 PM
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Originally posted by Mattar
The problem I have with the Bentley GT is that I would be paying around $180,000 and would expect to be exclusive in the respect that I won’t come across another GT when I’m driving. Sadly, here in London I usually see about two to three Bentley GTs a day on the other hand when driving a CL55, CL65, S55, E55 I would feel quite sure that I wont see a lot of them around. u can see that excluded the SL55 because its all over the place like ants


BTW this is my opinion of the car nevertheless, the Car LQQS amazing
As I suggested to the good Doctor, take one for a spin, I think you'll be impressed.
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Old Jun 2, 2004 | 08:20 AM
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SO what if a couple other guys have it? That just means you are all in the $180,000 club. Introduce, network, make some money together and get together with some women. Unless you buy a 1/1 car or have one custom made like sleestack. You are always going to see someone else with the same car as you.
There are peple who spend 300,000 on a bentley Cont. or azure and there are plenty of them around... Doesnt make it less exclusive...
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Old Jun 2, 2004 | 01:58 PM
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Originally posted by J Lucas
SO what if a couple other guys have it? That just means you are all in the $180,000 club. Introduce, network, make some money together and get together with some women. Unless you buy a 1/1 car or have one custom made like sleestack. You are always going to see someone else with the same car as you.
There are peple who spend 300,000 on a bentley Cont. or azure and there are plenty of them around... Doesnt make it less exclusive...

I agree with you in the respect that its nice to be in the $180,000 club, but still it would bother me personally, that wherever I go I’ll find another person with the same car. It’s like when the new BMW M3 came out there was one or two around, but after awhile everyone had it and it became sickening. what i'm trying to say is that the car has just been released a couple of months ago and now there is a Sh*t load around just wait for another year and u'll know what I mean.
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Old Jun 2, 2004 | 02:19 PM
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Mattar has a good point about waiting. There may be many who can afford the car, but if they become as common as the new SL in south Florida within a few months of their introduction early last year, for example, the owners will likely have an experience a bit different from what they likely expected. The GT may be such a pleasure to drive that it may make little difference if there are a lot of them around the neighborhood. I am in no way diminishing the GT--a car that I have not driven--as everything that I have read about it is very impressive and it is indeed a handsome, powerful looking design.
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Old Jun 2, 2004 | 05:29 PM
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Re: 2 GT's on the Gumball and my thoughts...

Originally posted by silversurfer
Keep in mind that I've heard from reputable sources about the CL73 being released with the 7.3 liter Zonda engine by the end of the year.
Your sources are probably wrong. I have heard of a bigger engine ie a 7.3 liter but it is no where near the same as the Zondas engine. There will of course be the 6.3 Liter engine in 1+ years time that should produce a tick over 500 bhp other than that I haven't heard of anything else in N/A form other than the standard 4 valve MB engines.
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Old Jun 2, 2004 | 07:34 PM
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Where do you guys live that you have seen multiple bentley gt's???????
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