After posing for some spy snaps and also being rendered on a few occasions, we decided to list all that we know about the new Bentley Continental GT that’s coming in 2018. Despite the current generation being facelifted just a while back, its essential to understand that the base car has been around for as long as 13 years!
All the renders and spy shots reveal that the new GT will be a lot sleeker than earlier, however let’s delve deeper and find out what makes this iteration tick. Sources suggest that the flagship variants will use a retuned version of the 650bhp 6.0-litre W12 twin-turbo motor with a massive 900Nm of torque, from the Bentayga SUV. But that’s not all. Reports claim that the line-up will also receive a reworked version of the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine.
Bentley has also shown considerable interest in putting together a plug-in hybrid version of the new Continental. The model is likely to borrow the Panamera E-Hybrid’s power-plant, which is a 2.9-litre V6 motor coupled to an electric motor, good for a total combined output of 455bhp. If Bentley sees a demand, a diesel Continental with the Bentayga’s 4.0-litre V8 diesel could also make it to the line-up - just for those who hate the inconvenience of regular visits to the fuel pump.
Nevertheless, what remains key to this generation of the GT, will be the manner in which the chassis is packaged. Expected to be underpinned by a tweaked version of the MSB platform, it is what the new Porsche Panamera is based on. Armed with the lighter platform, shorter wheelbase, aluminium intensive crafting and the new set of engines, the new car is speculated to shed at least 100kg (if not more).
While the Continental GT will make it to the market first, the drop-top GTC is likely to get introduced with identical updates at a later time, along with the traditional fabric roof. A lot is expected from Bentley’s new Continental to ward off the competition from cars like the Aston Martin DB11, McLaren 570GT, and the Mercedes-AMG S 63 Coupe. Stay tuned for more information.
