Bentley Continental GT: the car that changed Bentley

The Bentley Continental GT is a grand touring car made by Bentley Motors since 2003. Offered as a two-door coupé or convertible with four seats, it was the first new Bentley released after Volkswagen acquired the company in 1998 and the first Bentley to use mass-production methods.

Bentley Continental GT at a glance

History of the Bentley Continental GT

From the Concept Java

In 1994 Rolls-Royce Motors, then owner of Bentley, showed a convertible concept called the Concept Java at the Geneva Motor Show. It was meant to be a smaller, more affordable Bentley that would still be exclusive, appeal to new buyers and raise sales. At the time the Continental R cost about £180,000 in the UK and sold only 200 to 300 cars a year. The Java never entered production in the form shown, although 13 cars were made for the Sultan of Brunei. The Continental GT eventually realised the idea as a more affordable Bentley built in much larger numbers.

First generation (2003–2011)

The Continental GT debuted in 2002 at the Paris Motor Show and then appeared at Le Mans, the 2003 Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Bentley Drivers Club meeting at Silverstone. It differed from the Continental R and T in concept: although much of it was hand assembled, it was a mass-produced car made in far larger numbers and was not coach-built. Its price at launch was less than half that of the Continental R, which gave it a much wider customer base.

The engine was a 6.0-litre W12 with two turbochargers, rated at 560 PS at 6,100 rpm and 650 N·m from 1,600 to 6,100 rpm, driving all four wheels through a Torsen-based permanent four-wheel-drive system and a six-speed automatic. The coupé reached 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds and 318 km/h. It had fixed front quarter glass and no B-pillar between the front and rear side windows, a design carried through all later generations, and its dashboard clock was made by Breitling. The musician Prince owned a 2006 coupé in Baby Blue, which after his death in 2016 went on display at Paisley Park.

The convertible Continental GTC was first presented in September 2005 and reached markets in the autumn of 2006, with its roof made by Karmann in Osnabrück. It used the same powertrain, reached 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds and ran to 314 km/h with the roof up or 305 km/h with it down.

Speed and Supersports

The 2008 model year brought a 35 kg weight reduction, revised steering, a more upright grille and an optional carbon-ceramic brake system. The Continental GT Speed raised output to 608 PS and 750 N·m, with a lowered ride height and uprated suspension. In 2009 came the Continental Supersports with 630 PS and 800 N·m, a 3.9-second sprint to 100 km/h and a 329 km/h top speed; 1,207 coupés and 583 convertibles were built.

Later generations

The second generation appeared at the Paris show in 2010 and went on sale in early 2011 with a revised W12 of 575 PS, followed in 2012 by a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 of 507 PS and in 2014 by a 528 PS V8 S. The second-generation GT Speed had 625 PS and an eight-speed automatic, and the 2015 update took the W12 to 635 PS. A third generation followed in 2018 and a fourth in 2024.

Design and features

• W12 power: a 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12, from 560 PS in 2003 to 635 PS in later Speed models.
• All-wheel drive: Torsen-based permanent four-wheel drive, standard from the first car.
• Mass production: the first Bentley built in large numbers rather than as a coachbuilt speciality.
• Roof options: the closed coupé or the GTC convertible with a Karmann roof.

Bentley Continental GT versions

• Continental GT coupé (2003–): the original two-door.
• Continental GTC (2006–): the convertible with a roof by Karmann.
• Continental GT Speed (2007–): 608 PS and 750 N·m in the first generation.
• Continental Supersports (2009–): 630 PS, 3.9 seconds to 100 km/h, 329 km/h.
• Continental GT V8 (2012–): the smaller twin-turbo V8, later in 528 PS V8 S form.

The Continental GT was joined by the four-door Continental Flying Spur and replaced the Continental R in the range. More cars are in the Bentley collection.

Video: Bentley Continental GTC vs. Schelles Auswahl | GRIP #239

Video by GRIP – Das Motormagazin on YouTube.

Sources

• Bentley Continental GT, English Wikipedia: origin, first generation, GTC, Speed, Supersports
• Bentley Continental GT, German Wikipedia: generations, V8, later Speed models
• Bentley Continental GT, Italian Wikipedia: platform, engine, generations