Bentley is expected to release the first all-new incarnation of the Continental GT since the 2003 original this fall, as the Grand Tourer should land at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. And with the lavish coupe now in its final testing phase, a prototype has been spotted lapping the Nurburgring.
A brief check with the DVLA (the UK's U.K.’s Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency) reveals that the test car is animated by the latest incarnation of the VW Group's W12 engine, which made its debut on the Bentayga. To be more precise, while the W12 you can find under the hood of the outgoing Conti has a displacement of 5,998cc, the fresh unit packs 5,950 cc.
Once the obvious W12 and V8 versions of the new Continental GT make their debut, Bentley will also introduced a plug-in hybrid version, which has already been confirmed. As explained by company CEO Wolfgang Durheimer, the gas-electric setup will involve a V6 and pack up to 500 hp. This could mean that Bentley will take the 462 hp powertrain of the Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid even further.
The MSB platform shared with the second-generation Panamera may not have brought weight savings for the Zuffenhausen machine, but things will be different in the case of the 2018 Continetal GT. Given the aging architecture of the current model, it would be enough for the new car to tip the scales at around two tons to talk about a hefty diet.
We added a set of earlier spyshots to the gallery above, with these giving us a good taste of the interior, which mixes Crewe'd traditional luxury experience with new-age touches.
As for those worried about the tame soundtrack of the prototype, there's no reason to fret - the sports exhaust option of the production model(s) will delivering the required aural delights.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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