Bentley has unveiled its new Continental GT at the Paris motor show.
It will cost from £135,760 when its reaches dealerships in the first quarter of 2011. That's a cost increase of almost £10,000 on the current car's £126,500 sticker price.
See the official pics of the new Bentley Continental GT - plus pics from Paris motor showNow watch Autocar's exclusive video of the new Bentley Continental GT in the studio
The new model is charged with continuing the magnificent success of the 2003 original.
It might not look too different, but the Conti' has gained a raft of major updates, including a new engine and a still-secret 4.0-litre direct injection V8.
Fresh lookThe new GT is identical in length, height and wheelbase, but its body is wider at the wheel arches to accommodate wider tracks (increased by 41mm front and 48mm rear). The radiator is a little lower but more upright, which allows a longer bonnet to reduce the previous impression that the Conti’s nose is a little short.
The body’s lines are simpler, crisper and better defined because Bentley has adopted super forming – shaping of aluminium panels at 500deg C by air pressure – which allows more accurate manufacture of large pieces.
The designers have also eliminated one whole body joint (where the front bumper previously met the wings) to give what exterior design boss Raul Pires calls a “more bespoke” look.
The stance has been adjusted, there are more modern headlight treatments (the inners are now much larger than the outers, and have surrounding LEDs to handle minor functions) and there is “a new muscle” that defines the edge of the bonnet, visible from the driver’s seat.
The rear, 50mm wider, incorporates plain-looking tail-lights which show the familiar twin ellipses of the outgoing model when lit.
The bootlid, beneath the spoiler, incorporates the ‘double horseshoe’ shape recently introduced with the new Mulsanne, and there is a new diffuser.
Read more on the launch of the new car, plus see undisguised pics of it in development
Under the bonnetThe 2011 version of Bentley’s familiar twin-turbo 6.0-litre W12 gets handy tweaks to its engine management electronics and some new low-friction measures that together boost both power and torque, from 552bhp to 567bhp and from 479lb ft to 516lb ft.
The enhanced power is still transmitted by a paddle-shift ZF six-speed automatic, but the latest version of that ’box has a ‘quickshift’ function which halves shift times to an ultra-rapid 200 milliseconds while providing a multiple downshift function.
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Re: New Bentley Continental GT launched
"The V8 version will still have four-wheel drive, engineers say." Quote.
I think this is a mistake. Taking away the front diff and driveshafts would make it lighter and maybe nimbler. Works for Lamborghini.
Re: New Bentley Continental GT launched
Autocar, please take note, in another leading mag(simular cover to yours!?) they published their findings on this car, on page10 they had two photos, one showing the previous the other the new car model, now, i think this would be helpful further down the the car pecking order, most cars, as you say yourself get subtle changes, but car drivers like us wouldn't, describing them often isn't a help, so a before and after would be visually a better, instant idea of what's been changed, the photos are a little larger than passport ones but show enough detail to recognise the new, updated car wehen we come upon one.
Re: New Bentley Continental GT launched
It's been specially designed to accomodate a driver and 3 prostitutes in comfort....