The Fast Lane Car

A Romantic Ride in Croatia in the new 2012 Bentley Continental GTC

To understand the new 2012 Bentley Continental GTC first you must make a trip to the Body Assembly Hall at Crewe, England, the factory where these magnificent automobiles are handcrafted. Bentley Motor Cars, in operation since 1919, started off with the 1920 2 Litre, a vehicle which went on to win the Le Mans in 1924. “Bentley’s have been making beautiful history ever since,” explained our guide, Slim, who has been employed with Bentley for 40 years.

True to Bentley style, the facility, which has 4226 employees that help produce around 150 cars a week, maintains the standards that have been the company’s benchmark. “We still do clay modeling and we still use the human ear to detect engine sounds,” Slim explained.

“Last year we had 8,000 visitors to this site. And most people say that Bentleys are not expensive enough after seeing this process,” he quipped. Truth is, sales are up. In 2010, sales were up 11%, to 5,117, over the previous year’s sales of 4,616. In 2011, global year-to-date sales are up 33% to 5,379 from 4,056.

Bentley vs. Cadillac: So what exactly does $200,000 more buy?

When you think about it both Bentley and Cadillac have a long reputation of building some of the most expensive, some of the fastest, and some of the most luxurious premium luxury sports cars ever constructed.

Both companies started out as privately owned, and are now owned by multinational car manufactures.

Cadillac was born in 1902 as the brainchild of visionary master mechanic Henry Leland. Cadillac was founded in Detroit and was named after LeLand's ancestor Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. General Motors purchased Cadillac in 1909 and within a few years it built the brand into one of America's best known manufacturer of premium luxury cars.

Video Drag Race: 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports vs. Cadillac CTS-V

Combined the 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports and the Cadillac CTS-V have 1177 horse power.

The Bentley has a 6.0L W-12 with two turbochargers rated at 621 HP and all wheel drive, but it weighs almost 5000 pounds.

The Cadillac CTS-V has a 6.2L V8 with a supercharger rated at 556 HP, rear wheel drive, but it weights about 700 pounds less.

Not to mention that the Bentley cost about $200,000 more than the Cadillac.

So which one is faster in a straight line?

Video: Does the 2009 Bentley Continental have the provenance to back-up the brand?

The 21st Century Continental series Bentley has been a smashing success. In the process of selling over 27,000 coupes, sedans, and convertibles it has established and defined a market niche.

The Conti’s potent combination of hand worked, sybaritic luxury for four pampered occupants and twelve-cylinder, 552hp punch, harnessed by all-wheel drive, make it the answer to the question of which single vehicle would be best to own.