Sharper, tighter skinned and meaner looking, these are the first pictures of the new Bentley Continental. Designed to look fresh and modern, but still very recognisable as a Continental, Bentley want this car to be as iconic as the 911 is for Porsche.
While the look is similar, every panel on the latest Continental GT is new. Included, some stunning new details like the headlights and grille which are placed lower down, tight skinning on the flanks and the crease over the rear haunches of the car that give it plenty of definition. The presence of a single Mulsanne-like large headlight is supported by a smaller outside unit, and this creates an upward movement at the front.
The car is both wider and lower for a more ‘planted’ stance, and will come with a 40:60 front rear torque split to the four wheel drive system. It will sport 19inch wheels as standard, and you can specify 21’s too of course. To add to the sporty look, the cabin of the car has been lowered or ‘slammed’ and there is a chrome line at the bottom, a welcome addition for Chinese customers.
This car as a result has a lower coefficient of drag and more downforce at the same time and the motor under the hood of the ‘project 624’ will be a W12 churning out 567bhp and 79.6kgm.
Bentley has also tuned the ESP to allow for more of a drift angle, especially at low speeds and this will add significantly to the fun factor of the car.
Late next year Bentley are also likely to come out with a cleaner, lower carbon dioxide emitting V8 twin turbo mated to an eight speed automatic.
The new Bentley Continental GT is likely to be launched by March 2011.