Bentley Continental GT Speed get the Zagato treatment
Author: Chris Barker
Published: 03 March 2008
The Bentley Continental GT Speed Coupe has been the subject of a Milan-based Zagato style overhaul, due to debut at Geneva this month.
Traditionalist best turn away now, as the new GT Speed reveals that a long history of working with distinguished British marques like Aston Martin shouldn't necessarily cement a deal.
The Geneva Motor Show is where Zagato is unveiling its latest automotive sculpture based on this bastion of Englishness.
At first, fleeting glance a familiar large Bentley grille catches the attention - the head only dropping the moment your eyes do at Zagato's 'interpretation' of the Continental's bumper and stretched bonnet vents hinting at what lays in store.
A pair of front fog lamps that owe more to a Vauxhall Vectra do little to dispel mounting concern.
A Zagato signature stroke – the double-bubble roof – and an unflattering, bulbous derriere continue to effectively dismantle the quintessential Britishness of the Continental, with the understated sides and flanks being replaced too by a curvier, more voluptuous physical aspect.
Christened the Continental GTZ, the Zagato grafiti'd Bentley add a two-tone green paint job, complete with a silver roof. The heavily leather-filled interior bears the self same colour coding.
Power, mercifully, is untouched, with VW's omnipresent 600bhp W12 block stirring the gee-gees into a frenzy. 0 – 62mph witnessed in 4.3 seconds, top whack being a face-contorting 202mph.
In its defence, Zagato's successful collaborations with home-spun manufactures such as Ferrari and Alfa Romeo have been less challenging on the retina over the years. Like everything, purely a matter of individual taste.
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