Somehow the idea of the grand tour prevails. Its roots may lie in the aristocratic 17th and 18th century campaign for self-improvement, but we know it better as a two-letter abbreviation affixed to the rump of an elegant car: Gran Turismo. Ettore Bugatti dismissed his great rival Bentley’s early efforts as fast lorries, but the name is synonymous with a lavish and borderline hedonistic attitude to life.
Since its arrival in 2003, the Continental GT has set the bewinged nameplate on a lucrative new trajectory. With almost 100,000 cars sold, the stakes are high. So this latest incarnation doesn’t mess too much with the post-modern aesthetic. As per Ettore’s waspish observation, a century on from Bentley’s Le Mans 24 hours-winning behemoth, the Continental coupe and convertible retain a certain heft.
It was actually 1952’s R-Type Continental that provided the design inspiration, and this fourth-generation car maintains the strident grille, elongated bonnet, and the flamboyant sweep of the rear fenders. A strong sense of opulence is underpinned by a steely commitment to high performance.
The proportions remain intact, but some of the details have been changed. The headlights now feature a questionable horizontal “eyebrow”, with a dazzling crystal cut diamond effect on the top, and matrix lamps that incorporate 120 separate LED elements. Crystal and diamond in one set of headlights is no mean feat.
At the rear, the bumper, tail-lights, trunk lid and exhaust pipes have all been redesigned. The trunk lid is also more aerodynamic in form to obviate the need for a spoiler while still delivering the appropriate levels of downforce. A form as voluptuous as this needs big wheels to do its best work—and the Continental GT Speed gets new 22-inch rims with a “turbine” effect. It’s all very dashing.
Hybrid, With EV Mode
Photograph: Bentley Motors
But the real juice here is in how Bentley has amplified the technology story. Out goes the stentorian old combustion W12, in comes an all-new powertrain—an “Ultra Performance Hybrid” in Bentley parlance.
It combines a 4.0-liter twin turbo V8 that’s good for 584 bhp with an electric motor that adds a further 187 bhp. That means a peak system output of 771 bhp, 738 lb ft of torque, and enough wallop to deliver a top speed of 208 mph (335km/h) and a 0-60 time of 3.1 seconds. These are heady numbers for a car that was always heavy, but now weighs an athletic human under 2.5 tonnes. Sheesh.
Incidentally, this also makes the Continental GT Speed the most powerful production car in Bentley’s long history.
Happily, the new car is more nuanced in how it deploys its firepower. It really does have a magnificent and carefully engineered bandwidth. While Bentley prepares an all-new pure-electric car—that’s due in 2026—the hybrid takes on a greater significance than was initially forecast. “The plug-in hybrid was viewed as a transitional vehicle,” Bentley says, “but is playing a bigger role now because of changing consumer habits.”
To paraphrase, high-net-worth individuals with multi-car garages aren’t especially enamoured of high-end EVs, regardless of how extreme their performance might be. Ferrari’s long-awaited BEV lands in 2025; perhaps that’ll be the one that finally moves the needle.