When Bentley debuted the Continental GT in 2003, it was a knock-out success for the brand, the likes of which they had never seen before. After the Volkswagen Group purchased them in 1998, engineers went to work designing a car that could be mass-produced yet retained the special, hand-built feel that the older cars were known for. After 8 years with the first generation car, Bentley showed the replacement at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. Although the design language was similar, it was now sleeker with a more raked front end and an updated interior. When the new shape car went on sale in 2011, it could be optioned with either a twin-turbocharged W12 or a new twin-turbocharged V8 both paired to a smooth shifting 8-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. The convertible version of the Continental GT- known as the GTC- was unveiled slightly after at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and deliveries began in late 2011. With a multi-layer soft top, Bentley’s goal was to make a car that offered drop-top driving enjoyment paired with the same quiet environment when the top is up that you would have in the coupe.