Spied testing on two separate occasions with
camouflage and simply a blue and black wrap in the Arctic Circle as well as
more recently, on the Nurburgring, the new Bentley Continental GTC appears to
be extremely close to celebrating its global premiere.
The convertible uses the same platform architecture
as its coupe sibling (Porsche Panamera). It will be
stiffer yet slightly lighter than the car it replaces, albeit at around 2.3
tonnes, it will remain as one of the heavier proposals in the segment.
The car looks exactly
the same as the regular Continental GT except for its adoption of a folding
softop. With that in mind, it looks considerably sportier and more purposeful than
the outgoing model.
Of more importance is what sits beneath the
bodywork. A quick check on the registration shows that both examples seen here
are fitted with a 6.0-liter W12 powerhouse.
It’s the same twin-turbocharged unit as the hardtop Continental Coupe,
producing an identical 626 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque. That should result in a
0-100 km/h time of around 4 seconds, with the kind help of the
permanent all-wheel drive system.
A 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 from the VW Group’s
engine stable is believed to join the range as the base model, while there are
some rumors about Bentley pondering the addition of a plug-in hybrid version to
the entire Continental series.
In a bid to ensure that the new Continental GTC can
steal customers away from Mercedes, the British marque will adorn its cabin with
the finest materials available, including a selection of rare and expensive
wooden veneers.
Cr : Carscoops
