As I’ve said before, the GT car is a hard car to mess up. And Bonham should know; the Fleming marque carries with it years of prestige, as well as the reputation of older models to be about as reliable as a drunk working in a liquor store. That, however, certainly hasn’t graced more recent models, and this new one should be no different.
Because of the ease of designing a GT car, Bonham have been able to really go all out and create a genuinley stunning design. It follows all the principles of such a car; unfussy, understated and pretty. But, they also haven’t been afraid to add some aggression into those compelx headlights, some slight retro with that classic long nose, and some muscle with that quad exhaust set at the rear. There’s no other way to put it: it is an astonishingly beautiful car.
And now, it has no roof. The dainty canvas design it’s been replaced with harks back to the older days of luxury coupes of the sixties, and so perfectly complements the gracefulness of this car. Why would it have a folding metal roof? It’s not German, it doesn’t need to show off. I mean just look at it.
What’s it like to drive? Awful. So damn awful. So awful in fact that I didn’t know where the end the roadtest. I didn’t feel like I could find a road that really do it justice - the A82 in Sctoland would be ideal, but I was stuck down at the Bonham dealership in Richmond. Well, I guess a blast down the A3 down to the South Downs wouldn’t be too hard, and with 644 West Midlands horses on tap, it wouldn’t take long either.
At 70 mph, this car is so quiet that words don’t do it justice. The advanced auto box sits in 8th gear, purring over at barely a smidgen above idle. And it just wooshes its way down the road. It’s a sensation of serenity like no other.
Off the A3 at Petersfield and on to the twisty A272 over to Winchester. Roof down, gearbox in sports mode, and holy god this car shoves. It may well weigh two tons, but the outstanding suspension and incredible power from that V12 engine just make it so damn good. It’s a soft car this, as it should be, but its the way it controls it weight that makes the difference. It’s always safe and pliable, yet also delivers great feedback to the wheel. It feels remarkably professional, and the result is driving satisfaction like no other. And of course, with the roof off, that V12 sounds like the voice of angels.
Make no mistake, I would have the Drophead version any day over the coupe. It feels more natural, and thanks to their clever engineering, Bonham have managed to make it barely any heavier than before. And this isn’t exactly a heavyweight coupe in the first place.
What this car exudes is satisfaction. The passion in the engineering, the grace in the design and the immensity of its performance. It doesn’t matter what the specs really come down to, you just know with this car when you see it. A GT car that maintains what makes GT coupes so good, but keeps up on appearances. It’s damn near flawless.
Cars this good are why I became a motoring journalist in the first place; they celebrate the joy of driving.
- Gavin Anderson