by Iulian Budușan
Rolls-Royce and Bentley have always been on the magical realm of special convertibles, where the air is very rarefied. The bank account must be ”lavishing” the car’s settings likewise and quite often the list of optional items exceeds the price of a normal car.
That is the reason why the British car manufacturer Rolls-Royce has decided to offer two models that have textile roof sections. So, since 2016, those who are craving for luxury are no longer confined to the Phantom Drophead Coupe model. Moreover, the representatives of the British car manufacturer are suggesting that the prototype of the car is in a very advanced phase, that means that it might be ready for a first appearance even earlier, in March 2015, at the Geneva Auto Show. ”Right not, we are developing a contemporary interpretation of tourer automobile that shall convince more men and women to become owners of a Rolls-Royce”, said Torsten Muller-Otvos, Rolls-Royce Director. The officials of the British brand have confirmed their intentions of producing a new model, and they have even implied that there is room for a Rolls-Royce SUV.
The new model shall be a ”convertible tourer”, indicates the official release. The model is described as an elegant and sensual limousine; it is already in development and has been tested a few times. Yet, the series version shall come on the market not earlier than 2016.
If the convertible tourer is based on the coupe mode Wraith, it is very likely that it shall have the same 6.6 l V12 motor, able to deliver 632 horse power and 800 Nm - extremely generous resources that are already making the Wraith the fastest Rolls-Royce of all times.
Despite of being the most exclusivist companies in the industry, the Rolls-Royce hasalready sold 1.698 cars this year, having a 33,4% increase since last year sales.
Although Bentley has only one series model provided with a textile roof, there are several options for the equipment and especially for the motor.
This increased demand is mostly due to the Wraith model that was presented at the 2013 Geneva Auto Show; Wraith is a true GT tourer, a car that is equally fast and comfortable, being a serious alternative to any super sport model.
The main competition of Rolls-Royce is another British traditional manufacturer, Bentley. Although Bentley has only one series model provided with a textile roof, there are several options for the equipment and especially for the motor. Maybe the most spectacular of all, Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible boasts with the title of the world`s fastest series convertible. The model runs on an improved version of the six liters motor, with 12 cylinders placed in a ”W” and a coupling motor of 800 Nm. The Continental GT Speed Convertible can reach a maximum speed of 325 km/ h, and the racing goes from 0 to 100 km/ h in 4,4 seconds.
Although we are talking about a cabriolet, the Bentley engineers have designed the new model so it can be used at temperatures ranging from minus 30 degrees up to 50 degrees Celsius, and the textile roof is also resistant to pouring rain.
The Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible has a four-wheel drive and benefits from a system that recovers and recycles the energy used at braking and, the British say that it facilitates a 15% lower fuel consumption in contrast with the model without this system implemented. Yet, the consumption is quite high: 14,9 liters/100 km. The maximum speed of the Bentley model is 325 de kilometers per hour.
From the esthetical point of view, the Speed radical version of the Continental GT Convertible can be recognized by a few custom-made items, such as the honeycomb grid, the 21 inches alloy rims and the new chromed finishing of the evacuation system. The inside is all covered in leather and aluminum and the motifs of the embroidery – the rhombs – are perfectly matching the frontal outside.
The Bentley engineers have used a transmission based on a ZF gear box with eight ratios, provided also with a Sport mode that makes it easy to approach a purely sportive behavior thanks to the rapid response of the racing pedal and a polyvalence that is rare for such a sport car. The Bentley engineers claim that, when more strength is needed in an overtaking, the Continental GT Speed Convertible is able to shift from the eighth gear to the fourth with no difficulties.
The eight ratios of the gear box can be selected either manually using the paddles behind the wheel, either automatically using the classical gearshift. The eight gears are keeping the driver very busy, because it takes a considerate amount of work to change such a large number of gears. That is until you get bored and draw the conclusion that the car knows how the change the gears better than you do. The great advantage of this type of transmission is the fuel consumption, even if a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley client almost forgets about this matter.
The world’s strongest four-seated cabrio has a ground clearance with 10 millimeters lower than the weakest version of the GT Convertible; other technical adjustments include the optimization of the cooling air flow, adjusted steering and a complex ESP system that has a Dynamic mode.
The ”factory” under the hood sounds much better than a V12 engine, and the sound can be adjusted depending on the way in which transmission is selected: „Sport” or „Manual”.
Despite the fact that the Rolls-Royce and Bentley automobiles are rare on every auto market in the world, those interested can find, on the largest Romanian auto sales website, 14 Bentley Continental GT models for sale and only one Rolls-Royce, a collection model. Even if for some people it remains only a dream, those who have the opportunity to own such masterpieces of the modern auto industry can consider themselves happy and content – although these two concepts are very much subjected to interpretation.
