Bentley pulled the wraps off the all-new Continental
GT finally, revealing all the details on its new Grand Tourer that aims to
conquer the luxury segment.
The British company drew inspiration from its EXP 10
Speed 6 concept in designing the new Continental GT and it shows; the shape is
now much more sculptural and dynamic, making the Continental GT look properly
special.
Bentley revised the proportions of the whole car,
with the new generation having a longer and lower profile than its predecessor,
due in part of the positioning of the front axle 135 mm further forward which
allowed a longer hood and a lower nose.
The most radical departure however is to be found at
the back, where Bentley gave the new Conti GT a pair of elliptical taillights,
reflecting the shape of the exhaust tail pipes below them and giving the whole
car a surprisingly elegant rear end.
The wheelbase is now longer by 110 mm and the whole
car is wider by 25 mm, helping the new, more dynamic design approach but the
main reason for this change is of course the new MSB platform that’s also been
used in the Porsche Panamera and enables the use of the latest 48-volt
electrical system.
Bentley however claims that the parts used for the
new Continental GT are 82 percent bespoke to them, with the W12 model being
85 kg lighter than the equivalent predecessor. It still tips the scales
though at 2,250 kg. The whole skin of the car is made out of aluminum
that’s been crafted using the Super Formed technology, which allowed creating
the complex, more sharply defined body lines of the new model.
The first, Launch models will be powered by the
updated version of the company’s twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12 TSI engine, paired
for the first time with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The
powertrain produces 635 PS and 900 Nm of torque and allows
the new Conti GT to accelerate to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 333 km/h.
Thanks to the adoption of the 48-volt electrical
architecture, Bentley is making some bold claims about the dynamics of the new
Continental GT; the new generation features the Bentley Dynamic Ride, a system
that controls and adjusts the electronic actuators on the anti-roll bar of each
axle, improving the ride comfort and of course, handling.
What it basically does is keeping the car flat when
cornering by counteracting lateral roll forces, ensuring maximum tire-to-road
contact. The use of the 48-volt system also means that there are virtually no
delays in the Dynamic Ride’s responses. The revised air suspension also
features three-chamber air springs that are filled with 60 percent more air in
the softest setting, further improving the system’s scope to vary from sporty
handling to limousine levels of comfort.
As for the cabin, Bentley did what everyone expected
and used only the absolute best there is in natural materials, including
natural leathers, sustainably sourced veneers and hand-polished chrome details.
Over 10 square meters of wood are used in each Continental GT, with the wooden
inlays requiring nine hours to be created and fitted by hand.
A fully digital and configurable instrument panel
represents the next day for Bentley which also added a beautiful 12.3-inch
“retina-quality” infotainment display. The huge screen can rotate and bring a
veneer panel up front when wanted but wait, there's more; Bentley has also
added a third side to the rotating mechanism which features three analogue
dials displaying outside temperature, a compass and chronometer.
Production will start later this year, with the
first cars to be delivered in Spring 2018. There’s no information regarding
pricing, with the new generation expected to cost a bit more than the outgoing.