Last week Bentley dropped details about its new PHEV V8 engine and successor to the W12, and this week it’s teasing the first model to get that powertrain. The 2025 Continental GT will debut in June and deliver even more power than the outgoing W12 model that dies this summer. Bentley released two images of the new car wrapped in light camouflage, and they show that while the old car’s muscular stance and powerful rear quarters – both inspired by 1952’s R Type Continental – have been carried over, the design team has incorporated some notable visual upgrades seen recently on limited edition Mulliner projects.

The old car’s quad light setup has been cut down to a single pair of oval lights, each featuring Cleopatra-style eyeliner flourishes bleeding from each corner, just like the lamps seen on 2021’s Bacalar. The slimmer rear lights also appear to be inspired by the Bacalar’s, but while that car had a relatively tall and upright grille, the new Conti’s appears shorter and wider, and canted slightly backward for better aerodynamics. It’s a handsome coupe but might disappoint anyone who was hoping the more daring design ideas showcased on the $2 million Batur would be passed down to the merely expensive Continental GT, as well as the GTC we’ll no doubt meet in the coming months.

 

Some buyers might also be disappointed that Bentley’s W12 is no longer an option, the automaker having axed the big motor this year. But what the new Continental’s sole powertrain gives away in cylinders it makes up for in horses. Bentley’s first hybrid application based on the 542 hp VW Group V8 previously available in non-electrified form in the brand’s other cars makes 771 hp and 738 lb-ft, compared with 650 hp and 900 Nm for the last of the W12 coupes.

It also offers a 80 km electric driving range and drives all four wheels through a more sophisticated chassis that combines active all-wheel drive with torque vectoring, four-wheel steering, an electronic rear LSD, 48-volt electric anti-roll bars and new adaptive dual-valve dampers. Bentley doesn’t quote performance figures but zero to 97 km/h in around 3 seconds and a top speed of close to 338 km/h seems likely.