THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
The 2020 Bentley Continental GT is proof that sometimes rationalising does work for a bespoke manufacturer, because, while on the surface what you see is a bespoke, hand-crafted British grand tourer, underneath it’s an entirely different story.
After 15 years running the previous Continental GT, Bentley started to fall behind the competition in terms of modern build methods that saved weight, time and money, not to mention the advent of many driver aid technologies such as lane guidance, self-parking and blind spot assistance that have crept into the market in the meantime.
A new Continental GT was sorely needed to keep its place at the top of the grand touring tree and, being part of the VW empire, there was plenty of expertise from the various branches of Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, Lamborghini and Bugatti to lean on.
The result is a car that still shouts old English money with all the Bentley touch points of timber, chrome and leather wrapped in a sleek yet traditional shape dominated by the legendary grille. But what lies underneath is closer to Porsche than the previous Continental GT as it rides on a platform that’s not only shared with the new Bentley Flying Spur but also the Porsche Panamera.
_________________
See the 7 flashiest cars that didn't make it to Geneva Motor Show:
_________________
It’s a one-size-fits-all platform designed for the VW Group’s large, front-engined and rear or all-wheel drive cars that has transformed the Conti GT from a classy boulevard cruiser, which, admittedly, had plenty of go, to a proper, long-distance, high-speed luxury performance car worthy of any comparison against similar performance options from Ferrari or Aston Martin.
It can also add race winner to the mix after it took victory last month in the gruelling Bathurst 12-Hour enduro in Australia where it outpaced the likes of the Porsche 911 GT3, Aston Martin Vantage, Ferrari 488 GT3 and McLaren 570S to take the chequered flag.
The Continental GT has been a huge success for Bentley with more than 66,000 units of the previous version sold,. This new iteration continues the theme in a lighter, faster, more technically advanced and efficient, yet still supremely luxurious version.
Under the hood resides a 626 brake horsepower, six-litre, W12 twin-turbo engine that appears familiar but is very different from those in previous Bentleys. Debuted in the Bentayga, this W12 motor has not only shed 30 kilograms but has also been radically re-engineered with the front drive shafts punching through the sump to make it fit into the smaller engine bay and coupled to a new ZF transmission.
The interior retains all the hallmarks from Bentley's history, but it has managed to give it a 2020 makeover
It uses a new injection system and its two turbos have also been upgraded to twin-scroll units and it features cylinder displacement, which shuts down six-cylinders when cruising. This helps it to achieve a stated 16 per cent better fuel economy with a range of 800 kilometres and even after more than 600km of running around we saw better than 13 L/100kms average.
The transmission is an eight-speed ZF unit that uses Porsche’s PDK double-clutch set-up that’s been tweaked to handle the W12’s 900Nm of torque. On road it provided rapid shifting that was close to seamless through its eight cogs.
The twin-scroll turbos eliminate all lag as the surge of power felt virtually limitless and despite its portly 2,244kg, Bentley claims it will get to 100 kilometres per hour in 3.7 seconds and on to 333kmh.
The engineers have worked miracles to keep its weight down. The result is that it steers and points like no other Bentley we’ve driven with a lightness and finesse through the steering you would normally find, not surprisingly, in a Porsche.
The interior retains all the hallmarks from Bentley’s history, but it has managed to give it a 2020 makeover with a stylish new take using two-tone timber highlights that gives the cabin a lighter, airy feel. A new 12.3-inch navigation screen can be hidden behind an optional panel that rotates to show either a trio of analogue dials or continues the clean timber look while the ambient mood lighting includes razor thin LED strips across the dash and down the doors into the rear to mimic the outside’s curvy hipline. There’s also more interior room.
The Bentley Continental GT was in need of a make-over and with this new model it has not only done that, but shifted it into a new realm of high-performance tourer.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Joker'
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
Rating: Five out of five stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
england euro squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Reece James (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 6 Huddersfield Town 1
Man City: Agüero (25', 35', 75'), Jesus (31'), Silva (48'), Kongolo (84' og)
Huddersfield: Stankovic (43')
Pathaan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Siddharth%20Anand%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Deepika%20Padukone%2C%20John%20Abraham%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.
The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
