If you're in the market for an overly lavish Grand Tourer, you might want to wait a few months before going for that purchase. And that's because Bentley is preparing to introduce the 2018 Continental GT, with the first all-new generation since the 2003 model that started it all set to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
As a preview for the continent cruiser you might adorn your garage with, we've brought along the piece of spy footage below. The clip shows a prototype of the new Conti doing its thing on the Nurburgring.
As you can notice in the video, the Crewe machines corners flatly, which falls in line with the expectations for the newcomer. To be more precise, while the outgoing car could conceal its hefty scale footprint, the upcoming model should actually be able to deliver serious sporty thrills through the twisties.
The said transformation process will be led by the new MSB platform of the 2018 Bentley Continental GT. And while the old car tipped the scales at about 5,100 lbs (make that 2,300 kg), the fresh model is expected to sit close to 4,850 lbs (2,200 kg). Then there's the torsional rigidity boost brought by the platform, which will bring benefits on both the handling and coziness fronts.
It will also be interesting to see if the current default torque distribution of the AWD system, which sits at 60:40 (front:rear), is maintained - note that earlier versions of the Continental GT came with a 50:50 split.
Underneath the generous hood of the Conti, we'll find the British automaker's new W12 unit. Running a DVLA (the U.K.’s Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency) check, we found out that this test car is animated by a 5,950cc unit, while the now-old model comes with a 5,998cc mill.
Once the 3,993cc V8 joins the party, Bentley will also introduce a hybrid model. The automaker has already confirmed that the gas-electric model will offer V8 levels of power while employing a V6 engine. As such, we're expecting the Continental GT to borrow the 462 hp powertrain of the Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid.
Of course, once all the camo comes off, the sculpted shapes of the exterior will rival the plush cabin veneers in the battle for our attention.
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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