Let’s face it, the Continental GT was never intended to offer the purest driving experience out there despite being one of the fastest cars on the market. However, the V8 S aims to bring the platform closer to being a driver oriented sports car instead of a laid back GT. Thanks to more power, less weight and revised suspension, the V8 S manages exactly that. And although the GTC sacrifices some of the performance, folding the top down enhances the overall driving experience ten fold, especially since you can hear that powerful V8 burble even better. Furthermore, the 2017 Continental GTC V8 S looks more exclusive, modern and aggressive than the models which came before the major 2015 update. At the same time, the V8 S gets sporty details inside as well making it stand out from the rest of the lineup even more. But before we go into more detail about why the V8 costs more than the W12 on the used market and why it’s the smarter choice, take a quick break to check out the ones currently for sale at Exotic Car Trader.
The first V8 Continental GT was unveiled together with the second generation in 2012 and although it was somewhat controversial, it quickly became a bestseller as it was a much better all rounder than the W12. Journalists and customers loved its much improved driving characteristics, youthful design and overachieving engine. Soon after, in 2014, the V8 S made an appearance which doubled down on what made the initial V8 so successful. Both the GT and GTC V8 S boasted more power which put it dangerously close to the W12 in terms of performance, and the suspension was further enhanced to make the chassis more lively and fun. A year after, the entire model lineup got a major update which included a noticeable exterior redesign to keep it interesting, and a few more toys on the inside. That means the 2017 Continental GTC V8 S is the one of those updated model years making it the most advanced Continental before the third generation came out in 2018. And given the V8’s success, the third generation is also available with a V8 together with the V8 S trim.
Inside the 2017 Continental GTC V8 S there is noticeably more of that sporting spirit than in the standard V8, but it doesn’t take it to any extremes. The 2017 V8 S gets optional dual tone seats as found in the GT Speed with the tighter diamond pattern from the Mulliner trim. A sports steering wheel with bigger pedals was also optional and so was a black shifter bezel. Many 2017 GTC V8 S models were also ordered with contrasting stitching to add to the sporty feel. All this means the customer could order his V8 S with the same laid back luxurious interior found in a standard GT while also having the option to spice things up. The 2015 update also brought new LED ambient lighting, retro gauge cluster graphics and extra storage between the rear seats used for charging phones. The infotainment system remained unchanged from the 2012 models and is pretty outdated by today’s standards although it still works like a charm by all accounts. Wood trim wasn’t replaced by carbon fiber and standard leather instead of alcantara is the norm, but again, the V8 S is still a luxury GT and not a track tool.
Before the 2015 facelift, the V8 S had a much different design than the W12. The front bumper vents were much bigger and more aggressive and so were the quad exhausts in the back. The quad exhausts remained after the 2015 update but the new front bumper was shared between the W12 and the V8 which made the V8 look more grown up. However, the front end does look miles more modern thanks to the new bumper and the new flying B wing vents make it look much more bespoke. New 21 inch, seven spoke wheels were also added to the mix making the 2017 GTC V8 S resemble a concept car. Chrome trim now wrapped around the rear bumper and flowed into the side profile under the doors. And although the quad exhausts remained the same, a more aggressive diffuser was added and the ducktail trunk lid was more pronounced. Overall, the 2017 Continental GTC V8 S design looked more expensive than ever, and the fabric roof maintained the coupe shape making it look just as good when the weather is less than ideal.
Although cutting the roof of a car always results in more weight, 110 lbs more for the GTC for a total of 5,220 lbs, the 2017 GTC V8 S is still virtually as fast as the GT. That’s largely thanks to the 502 lb-ft of torque and 521 horsepower the V8 makes. As a result, the GTC V8 S sprints to 60 in just 4.5 seconds which is around 0.2 seconds slower than the GT V8 S, at least on paper. Independent tests show both the GT V8 S and the GTC V8 S to be over half a second faster but that’s a story for another time. The top speed is also slightly lower at 190 mph, down 3 mph over the coupe which is neglectable in the real world. What’s not neglectable is the 10mm lower ride height, a more aggressive transmission setup, quicker steering and stiffer suspension all of which make the V8 S much more engaging to drive than the standard V8 and especially the W12. To top it all off, the V8 S burns 40% less fuel than the W12 and is much cheaper to maintain making it the smarter choice in the long term especially since the performance difference is measured in milliseconds single digit mph.
Although the W12 GTC has depreciated quite a bit more, the GTC V8 S isn’t immune to it either. A 2017 Continental GTC V8 S which had a starting price of around $220,000 less than a decade ago now regularly goes for half that. The average price of a 2017 GTC V8 S is around $100,000 with examples selling for well under that every once in a while. Even those have just over 10,000 miles and are in perfect condition. Even though 100 grand is still a lot of money, you will hardly find a car that offers more for that amount.
Ultimately, the GT and GTC V8 S proved to be another great success story to be born from the VW-Bentley partnership. And the 2017 Continental GTC V8 S is one of the best iterations thanks to including all the updates the second generation had gotten, and all the nice tweaks Bentley provided for the V8 S trim. If you are lusting over a GTC V8 S, we don’t blame you, and once you are ready to pull the trigger, Exotic Car Trader will make the entire process as safe and convenient as it gets. With escrow protection, first inspection and delivery, little to nothing can go wrong when buying a car through Exotic Car Trader. The same goes if you use the help of Exotic Car Trader to sell your current luxury vehicle.
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