Is it a supercar? Is it a luxurious Grand Tourer? Or a sportscar in a very sexy and heavy suit? Well, the Bentley Continental GT Speed really blurs the lines between all of these and really makes you wonder

So now that we’ve established that the Speed is one very impressive car, looking at it from the outside you’d actually be hard pressed to tell it apart from the standard version. The radiator and front bumper grilles now get a dark tint to pay homage to the Le Mans winning Bentleys of the 1920s, while the twin exhausts at the back have rifled tailpipes for a little added aggression.

The massive 21-inch alloy wheels are new too, which covered the optional and outrageously sized 420mm (front)/356mm (rear) cross-drilled Carbon Silicon-Carbide brake rotors on the Speed I drove. Open the door and the word ‘Speed’ sprawled across the sill gives you the first clear indication that this is indeed a different breed of Continental. Step in and you’re treated to pretty much whatever you’d like to have inside your car. The Mulliner Driving Specification provides all sorts of opulent detailing along with lots of perforated leather hide all around, Dark Stained Burr Walnut or Piano Black veneers, a couple of unique ‘engine spin’ aluminium fascia options harking back to the days of the ‘Old Number One’ and even a carbon-fibre interior option if one feels particular modern.

Before I drove this Speed in this magical land called Dubai, I really wouldn’t have considered myself a Bentley man. I somehow always preferred the way the folk from the Old Continent tackle performance and luxury. But after this experience, these British Brutes have really found a soft spot in my heart, a place where even the Astons I’ve got my hands on haven’t been able to get to.

What I’ve come to utterly adore about Bentleys in general is the way they package all that performance and extravagance into a very special package with just the right amount of a nod to cars from the days of yore. And what I especially love about the Speed is the way it does all that and yet totally feels like a modern day supercar when you put your foot down. I’m going to unashamedly admit that I now desperately yearn to be a true blue ‘Bentley Boy’. Now if I could only find a few crore of rupees somewhere...