Photo: CarPix
When it was unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept received praise from virtually all automotive publications. It might be 2020 before the production version of the thing goes on sale, but its design will come to the Bentley range sooner than expected. Cue the first spy photos of the 2018 Bentley Continental GT wearing a production body shell.
The front fascia design and headlights of the 2018 Bentley Continental GT resemble those of the EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept. Then again, the three-piece lower grille and air intake vents appear to be different. The rear haunches of this pre-production Conti GT also mirror those of the concept vehicle. The rear, though, wears too much camouflage for us to grasp any design cues whatsoever.
The Conti GT of the post-Vickers era is just as relevant today as it was when it was launched in 2013. Yes, Bentley wants us to believe that two generations were launched since then, but there’s no hiding the fact that the second generation from 2011 is nothing but a nip-and-tuck affair. You’ve heard that right - both post-Vickers generations are underpinned by the Volkswagen Group’s D1 platform, which was first used on the Volkswagen Phaeton full-size luxury sedan back in 2002.
Thethird-generation second-generation Bentley Continental GT, on the other hand, will ride on the all-new MSB platform that underpins the Bentley Bentayga, Audi Q7, and the 2017 Porsche Panamera. The most important bragging right of the MSB platform is a curb weight reduction in excess of 200 pounds (100 kg). When the 2018 Bentley Continental GT debuts in the latter half of 2017, the grand tourer is expected to use an all-new 4-liter twin-turbo V8 with the electric turbo technology that will debut on the Audi SQ7.
All-wheel-drive is a certainty, something that can’t be said about the 6.0 twin-turbo W12 of the outgoing Conti GT. The all-new generation could get the twelve-cylinder engine only if the engineers cut down on emissions. The W12 generates a mind-boggling 329 grams of CO2 per kilometer, which is a lot by the most modern emission standards in the EU and the United States.
There’s a definite possibility for a plug-in hybrid 2018 Bentley Continental GT to be offered, which is expected to share its vitals with the next-generation Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid and the next-generation Cayenne S E-Hybrid. As for an all-electric model, the 2018 Bentley Continental GT is an unlikely candidate for that. Nevertheless, there’s a chance that Bentley will make an electric version for the production model based on the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept.
Editor's note: Is it me or is the 2018 Bentley Cont GT slightly smaller and shorter than the outgoing model?
The Conti GT of the post-Vickers era is just as relevant today as it was when it was launched in 2013. Yes, Bentley wants us to believe that two generations were launched since then, but there’s no hiding the fact that the second generation from 2011 is nothing but a nip-and-tuck affair. You’ve heard that right - both post-Vickers generations are underpinned by the Volkswagen Group’s D1 platform, which was first used on the Volkswagen Phaeton full-size luxury sedan back in 2002.
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All-wheel-drive is a certainty, something that can’t be said about the 6.0 twin-turbo W12 of the outgoing Conti GT. The all-new generation could get the twelve-cylinder engine only if the engineers cut down on emissions. The W12 generates a mind-boggling 329 grams of CO2 per kilometer, which is a lot by the most modern emission standards in the EU and the United States.
There’s a definite possibility for a plug-in hybrid 2018 Bentley Continental GT to be offered, which is expected to share its vitals with the next-generation Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid and the next-generation Cayenne S E-Hybrid. As for an all-electric model, the 2018 Bentley Continental GT is an unlikely candidate for that. Nevertheless, there’s a chance that Bentley will make an electric version for the production model based on the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept.
Editor's note: Is it me or is the 2018 Bentley Cont GT slightly smaller and shorter than the outgoing model?
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