Bentley Continental Gtc: 's' Version Is Competent But Confused

Crewe firm aims for greater driver appeal at a lower price point for its convertible GT The ranks of top-tier convertibles with power and art deco-esque opulence to spare have thinned out in recent years.Rolls-Royce stopped taking orders for the Dawn in 2022 and production of the Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet – an underrated gem especially in S560 guise – ended a year earlier. It leaves the subject of this week’s road test with the market for such cars almost entirely to itself.Or at least it does if you’re not considering the latest Bentley Continental GTC in its subtly more sporting S specification, as we have here. True, Bentley also purveys its only convertible model in full-blown 772bhp Speed guise, but while the S makes less power, it utilises the range-topper’s sportier chassis tune, and for quite a bit less expense (£35,000 less, to be precise). It’s therefore a car you might just consider instead of an Aston Martin DB12 S Volante, Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet or Maserati Grancabrio Trofeo, which can’t necessarily be said of the standard Continental GTC – or the pricier Speed.We will soon learn whether the S, as a sporting luxury plug-in hybrid convertible, really can compete so broadly, but it’s worth noting that the task of crafting a genuinely good open-air driver’s car from the tin-top Conti GT has, if anything, become harder of late. With the exception of the box-fresh Supersports, every model in the range is now fitted with Bentley’s hybrid powertrain. This is thought to add around 200kg to the kerb weight, thanks mainly to a 25.9kWh battery that contributes meaningful range.Factor in the reinforced sills, cross-bracing and A-pillar support that any convertible of traditional construction needs and, in the case of the Conti GTC S you’re looking at a claimed kerb weight of more than 2.6 tonnes. Can such a machine, shorn of some rigidity and with priorities rightly elsewhere, really offer driving satisfaction as an alternative to others mentioned?