Bentley Continental Gt Speed, the British sports car gets a makeover and converts to plug-in hybrid

Bentley completes the electrification of its range with the new generation of the Continental Gt. The fourth series of the model that changed the life of the British marque in 2002, marking the definitive break with the Rolls Royce that has since passed to BMW, converts to plug-in hybrid technology with the most powerful powertrain ever mounted on a road-going model. Today, the Continental Gt, which in the course of time has also spawned the Gtc open-top version, which for the first time debuts immediately next to the Coupé, is the best-selling Bentley in Europe (globally the record is held by the Bentayga mega-suv) and in 2025 its production will reach 100,000. Next year will also see the arrival of the first of five Bentleys with an electric powertrain announced by 2030.

The Continental Gt Speed's electrified powertrain christened the Ultra Performance Hybrid retires the big 6-litre supercharged W12 that until now has been at the top of the range, combining power and performance with understatement. The engine is Bentley's first to incorporate a 4-litre twin-turbo V8 related but not exactly the same as the one in the new Lamborghini Urus Se Phev, suitably engineered to work in synergy with the electric motor. The petrol unit develops 600 bhp and 800 Nm of torque, the electric one 190 bhp and 450 Nm. Overall, the Continental Gt Phev on tap delivers 782 horsepower and 1,000 Nm of torque. Values that send the Continental Gt Speed right into supercar territory. The system integrates an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, grounds its potential through the all-wheel drive system that basically prioritises the distribution of drive to the rear axle and manages energy flows according to the chosen mode: Ev, electric boost, regenerative braking and battery charging while on the move. In addition to these configurations, there are car configurations: ranging from sober to comfortable to sporty.

Against the Coupé's ability to reach 335 km/h, a speed that in the case of the Convertible is electronically limited to 285 km/h, and 100 km/h in 3"2 when it does the traditional hybrid, the Speed in Ev mode can reach 140 km/h and march for eighty kilometres with zero emissions. As far as fuel consumption is concerned, Bentley claims for the Coupé version an average of 10.3 l/100 km and CO₂ emissions of 29 g/km.

The electric motor is powered by a 25.9 kWh battery that recharges in less than three hours with 11 kW alternating current positioned at the rear of the floorpan, again the Msb also used by the Porsche Panamera, which results in a 50:50 distribution of the 2,500 kg mass on the two axles, also benefiting dynamism. This factor is also influenced by the steered rear axle, the rear limited slip differential and the active anti-roll system which, for its part, together with the new adaptive suspension with two-chamber air springs and two-valve shock absorbers, promises to improve comfort.

The line of the new generation is a direct evolution of its predecessor. The appearance has been refined with fewer interruptions in the surfaces making the line smoother and more sculpted, but also more harmonious and elegant. The completely redesigned front end features the biggest change in the last two decades for the Continental Gt, namely single front headlights with matrix LED technology of course. The rear end has also been completely redesigned. The latter has a softer look than in the past and offers a slender lip at the end of the boot lid that, in one fell swoop, retires the retractable spoiler of the previous Continental Gt and harmoniously closes the car's streamlined silhouette. The Continental Gtc, i.e. the convertible, has a multilayer soft-top that raises and lowers in 19" even on the move at up to 48 mph.