What's the news?
Bentley has shown us the third generation of the Continental GT coupe, a full decade-and-a-half since the original car was launched. Riding on the same platform as the new Porsche Panamera, the new Conti is lighter and has a far more luxurious interior than before, but retains its mighty 6.0-litre W12 turbo engine.
Exterior
While it looks overall similar to the outgoing model, Bentley has used a new process called 'superforming' that heats the car's aluminium exterior panels to 500 degrees Celsius before being shaped, which allows for sharper, slimmer lines. There are some elements of the Speed 6 concept car in there (the broader, lower grille, the smaller lights) and new touches such as the almond-shaped tail lights and more inset Kamm-style rear end.
Bentley's engineers have trimmed about 70kg from the overall weight of the car, and extended the wheelbase by 135mm. That means you get more interior space, and better weight distribution, which should be to the benefit of handling.
Interior
Inside, the cabin is entirely new and a massive improvement on the outgoing car's interior, with many more high-tech features. The traditional wood (now a sustainably-sourced Koa veneer), hand-polished chrome and knurled metal fittings remain, but there is now a new 'rotating display' that rolls out the big 12.3-inch central screen from a hidden position in the centre console. It has a fully customisable menu setup, but (just to show that Bentley hasn't lost sight of tradition) also has three analogue dials set into a third side of the rotating section. The instrument pack is also all-new, and now all-digital too.
The 20-way adjustable seats get a new diamond-in-diamond stitching, which Bentley says creates the effect of "a floating quilted surface in a sea of leather, which is extraordinarily soft to touch." There's also a new, optional coating for the centre console, inspired by the inside of a Swiss watch and called Cotes de Geneve.
Mechanicals
That W12 engine now produces 635hp, and a staggering 900Nm of torque. Driving all four wheels through a new eight-speed automatic transmission, it can sprint from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 330km/h.
For those hoping for a much-improved environmental performance, well, sorry, but it does spew out 278g/km of CO2 (though that is 16 per cent better than before), and average fuel economy is 23mpg (around 4mpg better than the old car). Those hoping for greener things should wait for the launch of the 4.0-litre V8 and plugin hybrid versions in due course. Still, the W12 does have variable displacement tech that shuts down half of its cylinders under a light throttle load.
There's a new four-wheel-drive system that actively diverts engine power to all four wheels depending on where it's most needed, instead of sending 60 per cent to the rear wheels as before. The suspension also gets active anti-roll bars, controlled by a new 48-volt electric system, which can keep the car flat during hard cornering, but which disengage at other times to improve the ride quality. Springing and damping is done by air suspension, with chambers 60 per cent larger than on the old model. They're monitored by a Continuous Damping Control unit to ensure a good balance between agility and ride. Oh, and it has massive brakes too - 420mm at the front.
Anything else?
Wolfgang Durheimer, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, said: "Bentley has been at the forefront of luxury Grand Touring for nearly one hundred years. The new, third-generation Continental GT is the pinnacle of our design and engineering achievements and marks the next step in Bentley's journey. We are the world leader in luxury mobility and our products and services define new luxury in the automotive world. The new Continental GT encapsulates our desire to innovate as well as celebrate our heritage and take the Bentley ownership experience to the next, unparalleled level."
The 2018 Bentley Continental GT makes its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.