Introduction
There is nothing more luxurious than having an expensive open-top car. It gives you the wind in your face yet at the same time you are soaking in unparalleled comfort. It was the forte of the ruling class in the past and even today is a symbol of those who have annual incomes as big as their bank account numbers. Among the lot, the most sought after was the four-seater convertible. Such a design meant you could enjoy and bring two more friends along.
So our comparo today then is of the most expensive and opulent open-top cars that money can buy: the soon-to-be-launched Rolls-Royce Dawn Vs Bentley Continental GTC Speed.
Am I bling enough?
When you can think of buying cars like these, it is pretty obvious that your account number and bank balance are in a running race of digits to the end of the web page. So these then are the best examples of no holds barred open top flashiness. Both are four-seaters (the common thread) and are quite massive with the Dawn measuring a tad bit more than Continental GTC Speed. The Dawn embraces the flashiness of traditional ‘my car costs more than your house’ design while Bentley thanks to its VW leanings is sporty but in a subtle(ish) sort of way. To put it plain and simple the Dawn is a gentleman’s machine while GTC Speed appeals to a younger but equally opulent audience.
How fast is my luxury barge?
The Continental GT is powered by a twin-turbo 6.0-litre W12 that produces 567bhp and 700Nm of torque which comes in at a very low 1700rpm. There is an eight-speed automatic with a rear-biased AWD system channelling power to the wheels. These figures give you the ability to do high speeds and long distance consistently but without any of the strain due to the large capacity of the engine. The availability of so much of torque at such a low RPM is also to lug the 2.4 tonne weight of the car from 0-100kmph in just four seconds.
The more stately Dawn is powered by a twin-turbo 6.6-litre V12 producing 563bhp and 780Nm of torque with power going to the rear wheels via an eight-speed unit. It is however, a full 100kgs more than the Continental GTC Speed and takes five seconds to go from 0-100kmph. In a true sense of just pure numbers this might seem like a very (very) minor let down. But then again if you can go from 0-100kmph in just five seconds in what is essentially the equivalent weight of a fully loaded small transport tempo, you really don’t have much to complain about.
I’m paying like a tonne of cash…what do I get in the cabin?
The equipment list of both cars is like the number of taxes we have started paying on services these days - fancily named and endless. Given the prices of both vehicles it would seem almost laughable to start listing out things like climate control, a music system with a large display and many speakers.
Now if you genuinely look at the feature list both cars offer they are pretty much similar to what you find a few crores down but just better built, finely trimmed and most important as opulent looking as possible. Both of them offer wind in your face and hair luxury seating for four to enjoy the surroundings. Everything is electrically adjustable and does not require you to lift more than a few fingers to get things going.
These cars exist in a part of the market where you are literally called in to trim out your car from top to bottom pretty much making it as custom as possible. This list as we had said in the beginning of this section is vast and depending on how much money you can spend…endless
When you say a tonne of cash…what do you mean?
Firstly, if you have to ask the price of such vehicles then they are usually beyond your reach. But for the sake of the narrative, the Continental GT Speed convertible is priced at Rs 4.42 crore (ex-showroom Delhi) while we believe that Rolls-Royce Dawn is expected to be priced closer to nine crore.
