Test drive: Bentley Continental GT Speed

As daredevil skydiver Felix Baumgartner was falling from the stratosphere at over 1,120km/h, I was packing my bags for Germany to try out Bentley's fastest ever production car - the appropriately named Continental GT Speed.

While not expecting to break the sound barrier, it was a first chance to see just how capable the new grand tourer is on the free-wheeling autobahns around Munich.

With almost a dozen of the large coupes waiting in a piazza outside the German city's airport - in hues ranging from sober grey to a sunny yellow - passers-by may not have even known that these handsome hulks were classed as sports cars.

Even a Bentley engineer, referencing Ettore Bugatti back in the 1920s, joked: "We do make lovely trucks."

To gain some perspective, another "fastest ever" 12-cylinder car, the new Ferrari F12berlinetta, is 775kg lighter than the 2,300kg GT Speed, but its top speed is only 10km/h faster. This is why Bentley says its Continental range offers two cars in one - giving their owners a taste of both luxury and speed. The 2013 model - the GT Speed joined the Continental stable in 2007 - pushes it all the way to 330km/h. Unveiled at Britain's Goodwood Festival of Speed in June, the car has been engineered to push the range's sporting credentials to the maximum.

The two-door, four-seat coupe is powered by Bentley's huge W-12 engine, a six-litre twin turbo that generates 625 horsepower and 800Nm of torque. An all-wheel drive, the torque is split 60/40 in favour of the rear for a sportier driving feel.