2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed

For 2008, Bentley decided to give buyers of the Continental GT what amounts to a sports package by bumping horsepower from the standard 552 to a nice round 600 at the crank. Suspension, interior, and exterior components are also included, but it's the power that's the big story. Since power is something most people can never get enough of, GIAC turned its attention to the ECU of the brand-new Speed and made some big gains. Most of our readers would probably be surprised at the number of flashes they sell for these cars. If you look at it as a ratio of flashes sold to number of cars sold, it makes the 2.0T market look absolutely stale.

Vehicle Data

2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed
Mileage: 3,400
Engine: 6.0-liter, dohc, 48-valve, twin-turbo W12
Transmission: Torque converter-equipped Tiptonic six-speed automatic
Driveline: Longitudinal front engine, all-wheel drive

Dyno Data:
Mustang Dynamometer
Temperature: 65-72 degrees F
Humidity: 38-41 percent
Test gear: 4

Baseline
Peak wheel horsepower: 459 whp @ 5900 rpm
Peak wheel torque: 476 lb-ft @ 2650 rpm
Peak boost: 11.4 psi @ 5975 rpm

Test Notes:
All hardware on the car was completely stock for the entirety of the test. It was virtually a brand-new car, consequently in perfect running order, and all systems at peak operating conditions. An exhausting number of runs were made in all configurations. The high and low statistically outlying runs were discarded immediately, and a run that showed to be representative and repeatable was chosen.

GIAC pump gas 91/93-octane flash
Peak wheel horsepower: 492 whp @ 5900 rpm
Peak wheel torque: 527 lb-ft @ 4300 rpm
Peak boost: 13.6 psi @ 5900 rpm
Max wheel horsepower gain over stock: 57 whp @ 4400 rpm
Max wheel torque gain over stock: 68 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm

Notes:
Like most cars, a software flash is by far the most economical horsepower you ever see on this car. The dyno runs for this software were performed using 91-octane California fuel. Owners using non-California 91- or even 93-octane fuel will likely see better results.

GIAC race gas 103-octane flash
Peak wheel horsepower: 550 whp @ 5850 rpm
Peak wheel torque: 528 lb-ft @ 4300 rpm
Peak boost: 13.6 psi @ 5900 rpm
Max wheel horsepower gain over stock: 99 whp @ 5600 rpm
Max wheel torque gain over stock: 92 lb-ft @ 5600 rpm

Notes
In race gas mode, 103-octane, the software is not dialing in more boost than the 91-octane program. The horsepower is being gained from more aggressive timing maps. The even boost stays constant; the higher octane allows more ignition advance, which allows for better fuel burn and more horsepower.