Live and let dial! Inspired by 007, Bentley with a rotating dashboard

BENTLEY was James Bond’s original choice of car, so it’s fitting that the manufacturer’s new Continental GT comes with a little bit of 007 ‘magic’.

The £160,000 motor boasts a three-way rotating dashboard inspired by the changeable number-plate Bond had on his Aston Martin in the 1964 movie Goldfinger.

At first glance the fascia is simply a smooth wood veneer but when the engine starts a display screen with three ‘windows’ for navigation, phone and general media rotates into view. At the flick of a switch, the driver can spin it again to reveal three analogue dials displaying outside temperature, a compass and a chronometer. Bond drove a Bentley in Ian Fleming’s novels but became known for using a gadget-laden Aston Martin DB5 in the films.

Bentley is owned by Volkswagen but the Continental GT is said to be ‘designed, engineered and handcrafted’ in Britain.

A spokesman added: ‘And the rotating dashboard does add a little bit of James Bond magic.’