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Bentley to Bring New Continental GT in 2017, Porsche Know-How Included

While everybody is waiting to see Bentley’s first in-house SUV, the Bentayga, the British automaker is secretly working on the next generation of its Continental GT, with Porsche lending the Brits its technical expertise.
Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
The strong connection between the Flying B brand and the Zuffenhausen engineers comes for the very base of the vehicle. While the Volkswagen Group has already debuted the new MLB modular platform with the 2016 Audi Q7, the new Continental GT will be underpinned by custom incarnation of that platform dubbed MSB.

Porsche is in charge of the MSB development, with this bespoke version of the architecture set to make its debut next year on the second-generation Panamera.

The platform, which will serve both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive applications within the VW Group, is expected to underpin the next Continental starting from 2017.

Bentley engineers have gained surprising weight-juggling skills, so imagine what they’ll able to do once the new design allows the Continental to go below the two-ton mark.

The connection to Porsche goes even deeper

Since the Porsche 911’s tradition-based business model is so successful, Crewe plans to follow a similar path with the Continental GT. Bentley’s bread and butter butter cake model has already walked down this road. The model first came to the market back in 2003, but when the second generation arrived in 2011, this was more of an evolution than a revolution.

Sure, as we said, the platform will be all-new, but the continuity will be assured through the design. Just in case you want a few visual hints on that, the EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept you can see above should provide them.

At the heart of the the grand tourer

You’ll also be familiar with the “entry-level” 4-liter twin-turbo V8 on the grand tourer. Nevertheless, the third-gen Continental GT will receive further massaged incarnations of the current V8. The rumor mill states Bentley engineers will work on the engine to differentiate it even more from the Audi versions of the V8.

The Volkswagen group has just announced an all-new W12. With 608 PS and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft), this will serve the upper side of the line-up.

Moreover, Bentley has already confirmed that, once the upcoming Bentayga SUV will debut the company’s first plug-in hybrid powertrain, each of its model lines will offer a petrol-electric heart.

Porsche has kept its hybrid somewhere in the middle of the line-up until now, but expect Bentley to offer a more exuberant approach. What you shouldn’t expect though is an all-electric Continental GT.

All this technology infusion means you must also keep an open mind on the pricing front. We’d keep a good relationship with our financial consultant, just to be on the safe side.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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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.
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