What do Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and J-Lo have in common except dodgy music, infamy and having more money than they can spend? They are owners of Bentley Continental GTs.
What do Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and J-Lo have in common except dodgy music, infamy and having more money than they can spend? They are owners of Bentley Continental GTs.
The Continental GT, which was showcased in South Africa in November last year, has a six-litre, twin-turbocharged W12 engine that develops a peak output of 411 kW and 650 N.m of torque. Though the engine, mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox with steering wheel-mounted paddle shift, is derived from the powerplant used in the Volkswagen Phaeton, it was designed and developed by Bentley. The factory claims a 0-100km/h time of less than five seconds and that the lavishly-appointed, 2,4-tonne GT will achieve a top speed of 320 km/h.
By late last year, Bentley SA had already received 30 orders for the Continental GT. Each of those prospective buyers had to put down a deposit of R100 000 with their order, but the premium was unlikely to have been a problem for car-crazed celebrities pining to get behind the wheel of the R2,5-million car.
MTV reality TV stars Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne were among the Hollywood elite getting new Continental GTs as charter shipments from Bentley arrived in Southern California.
“I’ve arrived! I finally am the owner of the most luxurious car in the world, my brand new Bentley,” Sharon Osbourne cooed as she examined her new Bentley, which was delivered to their driveway shrouded in a Union Jack flag.
Jennifer Lopez, known to be fond of flouting her bling bling, is already tooling around Beverly Hills in her Bentley Continental and others were sold to Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, James Caan, and Sylvester Stallone. Candy Spelling got hers as a Mother’s Day gift from producer-husband Aaron Spelling.
“Many of these prominent car enthusiasts placed orders without ever having driven, or seen, the new Continental GT except in automotive enthusiast publications, lifestyle magazines or newspaper reports,” Bentley Motors chief Alasdair Stewart said.