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Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible photos hit web early

It was Indiana Jones and that whole ark episode that gave us the best example of what happens after leaks: once you break the seal, all hell breaks loose and there's no way you're putting it back. We aren't sure who lifted the lid, but official photos of the 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible showed up on Flickr last week, and so here we are presenting them to you.
If it follows the Bentley playbook as the last GT Speed - and we have no reason to believe it won't - beyond the lack of a top there won't be much difference between it and the coupe than a few minor numerals. There will be a W12 in front with 616 horsepower and 590 foot-pounds of torque running through an eight-speed transmission, and the dash from standstill to 60 miles per hour will clock in somewhere around four seconds. That's some 21-inch rolling stock setting up the stance, and unless it's gotten slower than the last GT Speed, ultimate velocity with the top up should be at least 200 mph.
It will be undeniably fast. As for the paint, you can make up your own minds about that while you peep its angles in the high-res gallery. We'll find out the rest when the world's purplest droptop is revealed at the Detroit Auto Show.

2013 Bentley Continental GTC V8

Despite having a rich history of creating comfortable cars for the chauffeured elite, Bentley has also had an edge on performance that its former compadres at Rolls-Royce could not come close to. Because while the Rollers may have been the better cars to be driven in (and some would argue, they still are), the Bentleys were better to drive.
That's still true to this day, where the company, now situated under the umbrella of the Volkswagen Group, still offers all the same luxury and refinement as before, but it also includes even better drivability than before. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Continental range, where a full line of turbocharged 12-cylinder and Speed models are on offer, to say nothing of older Supersports models that were offered and the company's newest venture into the world of racing, the GT3.
But below the Speed cars and the other W12 cruisers, Bentley now offers eight-cylinder power in its Continental range. And despite this more focused approach to offering something a bit more frugal and efficient, it still has quite the focus on driver involvement. We recently spent a week under the summer sun in this droptop V8 GTC to experience just that.

Bentley reveals Continental GT V8 S with a bit more of everything

A Bentley seldom lacks for power, but the entry-level, V8-powered Continental GT and GTC will be getting just a bit more when the doors open at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. The 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 in the new Continental GT V8 S and GTC V8 S has been upgraded by 21 horsepower and 15 pound-feet of torque to bring output up to 521 hp and 502 lb-ft. That's no earth-shattering boost, but when you're dealing with a car that weighs over 5,000 pounds, ever little bit helps.
In a rare best-of-both worlds scenario, Bentley has managed to squeeze the extra thrust out of the Audi-derived engine without sacrificing fuel economy, enabling the new V8 S models to cover the same 500 miles on a full tank as the existing Continental GT V8. But the crew from Crewe didn't stop there: they also lowered the suspension by ten millimeters (0.39 inches), stiffened the spring rates by 45% up front and 33% in the rear, tweaked the dampers, fitted a stiffer rear sway bar and recalibrated the stability control, all in the aim of providing a more assertive, engaging driving experience.
The revised models can be identified by their tweaked front and rear fascias, black grille and unique 20-inch wheels. As of right now, it's not clear how much the V8 S will cost over the standard eight-pot Conti, but then Bentleys don't come cheap in the first place. Deliveries are set to begin early in 2014, by which time we hope to have more specifics on price and availability.