NEW CONTINENTAL GT TO BE MOST HIGH-TECH BENTLEY YET

Porsche platform, upgraded W12, hybrid option and autonomous tech for new super-luxury coupe

The next Bentley Continental GT will be comprehensively re-engineered to give the traditional coupe renewed impetus and appeal.

The second-generation Continental GT, depicted here by our artist based on our information about the styling, will be given its world debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

As part of a far-reaching reorganisation at parent company Volkswagen, Bentley has been made a key member of the newly created Sports and Luxury Group, which also includes Porsche and Bugatti.

The aim of the change is to more successfully amortise costs across the three brands in the areas of engineering, purchasing, sourcing, development, testing and servicing.

The first fruit of this reorganisation is the decision to base the new second-generation Continental GT on the Porsche-developed MSB (Modularen Standardantrieb Baukasten) platform.

The MSB structure is more contemporary than the platform that has been used by the Continental GT since its return to the Bentley line-up in 2003. It is claimed to provide the new model with greater rigidity, a significantly improved front-to-rear weight distribution and a reduced centre of gravity — factors that promise to endow it with better handling, sharper responses and greater refinement than today’s model.

Significantly, the new underpinnings provide the scope for both rear and four-wheel-drive versions of the new coupe — something the old platform was unable to offer. Additional developments include rear-wheel steering for added agility and a new air suspension system that uses the same triple-chamber plungers as those found on the Panamera for a plusher ride.

The new platform uses a higher percentage of hot-formed high-strength steel than the earlier structure, which was shared with the discontinued Volkswagen Phaeton. Together with the adoption of predominately aluminium body panels in place of the steel panels of today’s model, this has brought a significant reduction in weight, according to Bentley chairman Wolfgang Durheimer, who has hinted at a saving of more than 100kg.

This indicates that the new base Continental GT should tip the scales at around 2,100kg. By comparison, the lightest of today’s Continental GT models, the GT3-R, weighs 2,195kg.

Various exterior styling cues for the new Bentley were originally previewed at the Geneva motor show in March 2015 with the unveiling of the smaller two-seat Speed 6 coupe concept. More pronounced touches include a lower front end with a shallower but wider grille, a more heavily sculptured bonnet and twin round LED headlights. At the rear, the haunches have become even more pronounced. Overall, the new Bentley appears lower and broader than before, with wide tracks and a unique wheelbase helping to give it a pleasing, hunkereddown stance.

As well as adopting a brand-new platform, the second incarnation of the Bentley coupe is also set to feature an extended range of powertrains, including a new petrol-electric hybrid unit that will offer the potential for zero-emissions driving.

A 48-volt electronic architecture will also enable the new Continental GT to feature a raft of contemporary driver assistance systems, including autonomous driving technology.

Bentley has decided to upgrade its 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 petrol engine to include a particulate filter, among other changes, to meet the stringent new EU-mandated emissions standards slated for 2021. That means the new Continental GT will continue to provide top-drawer performance, including a 0-100kph time of less than 4.0sec and top speed in excess of 300kph.

The W12 Continental GT’s heady reserves will continue to be channelled through a standard eight-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive system.

Nothing is official just yet. However, the subtle increase in power coupled with the promised reduction in weight is expected to provide the range-topping 2018-model-year Continental GT with performance on a par with that of the outgoing Continental GT Speed, which has an official 0-100kph time of 3.7sec.

Below the W12-engined flagship will sit the standard Continental GT model, which will continue with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8. However, secrecy surrounds which engine it will use. Some insiders contend that the new coupe will retain the same Audi-engineered 3,993cc unit used in other Bentley models. However, a high-ranking Crewe official insists that the model will receive the newer 3,996cc engine developed by Porsche and launched in the second-generation Panamera Turbo.

Although the W12 model will continue with standard four-wheel drive, the V8 will be sold with the choice of rear or four-wheel drive. That will mark a first for the Continental GT, which up to now has been available exclusively with four-wheel-drive, irrespective of its engine.

Also planned, although not expected to figure in the initial line-up, is a four-wheel-drive petrol-electric version called the Continental GT Hybrid. The petrol-electric unit is expected to be the same system used by the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 and an electric motor mounted within the front section of the automatic gearbox to provide an overall system output of over 450hp.

The Porsche-developed hybrid system has been heavily reworked by Bentley and is expected to provide the Continental GT Hybrid with a pureelectric driving range of around 50km.

Following the Continental GT coupe into showrooms in 2018 will be the convertible Continental GTC. As with the outgoing model, it features a fabric roof. In 2019, Bentley also plans to launch a successor to the Flying Spur saloon on the same platform, albeit with a longer wheelbase for more interior space.