Crossing Continents

A second encounter with the new Continental GT, and its GTC sibling, has reinforced our opinion that Bentley's grand tourer has never been more appealing

- By: Ian McLaren

The first product launched by Bentley Motors under its Volkswagen Group ownership, the Continental GT was crafted and engineered to compete with similar grand tourer rivals from brands such as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.

Manufactured at Bentley's upgraded Crewe headquarters, the market's enthusiastic response to this W12-powered coupé was so strong that within four years of its 2003 debut, it helped increase its maker's annual sales volume from 1 000 to 10 000 cars per year.

Sampled in pre-production form in our July 2024 issue, the fourth-generation Continental GT and its soft-top GTC sibling are built on the VW Group's modular MSB platform. Shared with the Porsche Panamera, these underpinnings incorporate a new hybrid powertrain that, in the Bentley, pairs an electric motor housed within the 8-speed dual-clutch transmission and fed by a 25.9 kWh (22.0 kWh, usable) battery, with the Group's twin-turbocharged V8 engine.

Delivered to all four wheels, in the “entry-level” GT and GTC, this translates to 500 kW and 930 N.m of torque, capable of launching both derivatives from standstill to 100 km/h in under four seconds.

Both body styles can be ordered with an Ultra High Performance version of this powertrain, in Speed, Azure and Mulliner specifications, which raises outputs to 575 kW and 1 000 N.m, respectively.