Continental GT signals Bentley's rebirth

Bentley has been reborn. The famed British marque is one often associated with old money and high society, but that was before the Continental GT.

While it still pegs the posh meter as only a car that costs more than $150,000 can, the 5,071-pound

Business Credit Solutions

• Get a Credit Report
• Get a D&B D-U-N-S Number
• Monitor My Business Credit - FREE TRIAL!

Business Credit Advice

• Business Credit Basics
• Build My Business Credit
• Extend Credit to Customers
• Use My Credit to Get Loans

Automotive publications have praised the GT's power, handling and accoutrements. Some have criticized its heavy weight, but, on the whole, the car hits the mark when it comes to the high-speed cross- country stints for which it was designed.

Price-wise, $150,000 is a steal for a Bentley. At half the price of the aging Continental R it replaced, the new model competes with the likes of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Ferrari and Porsche, as well as fellow English manufacturer Aston-Martin and its sleek DB9.

On Long Island, sales of the GT have been brisk. And though its exterior represents a bold and strong design, it's the mechanical bits that garner most of the attention.

It's got 552 horsepower, said Michael Todd, principal of Bentley of Long Island in Woodbury, the region's exclusive dealer for Bentley. It's simply spectacular.

Todd noted there's already demand for the four-door version of the GT, which is expected to hit U.S. shores in September. A convertible version is expected in 2006.

Todd said the GT is attracting all types of buyers - including doctors, lawyers, bankers, entrepreneurs, musicians and athletes. Although the car was expected to make a splash in the world of hip- hop, where bling is king, Todd said that hasn't happened yet. I thought it was going to sell well in the segment, but so far that hasn't been the case.

Unlike Bentleys of the past, which were often acquired to be driven only occasionally, the new car is often used regularly by buyers, Todd said.

What's so unusual is that some consider their car as their daily driver, he said. Some, though, are simply adding them to their collections.

Prior to being acquired by Volkswagen AG in 1998, Bentley was a cottage manufacturer of cars, with an annual build output numbering in the hundreds. But Todd said that some 2,200 examples of the new GT have been built for the U.S. market alone, allowing dealers such as Bentley of Long Island to sell more than 100 cars last year.

The wave of demand for the Bentley GT has largely been created by the car's impressive performance. It's powered by a twin- turbocharged 12-cylinder engine that puts its power to the pavement via all-wheel-drive. What that translates into is sprint from 0-60 miles per hour in less than 5 seconds, while a tear through the quarter-mile will take less than 14 seconds.

Last year, Car Magazine pushed the big Bentley past the 200-mile- per-hour mark on a closed course.

What's it like to drive? Incredible, said Todd, noting that the car's performance abilities far exceed the expectations of those buying them. Overwhelmed buyers have called the dealership to thank us for the car as if we built it, he said.