It’s a special day when you have not one, but two luxury car manufacturers bringing out the latest generation of their performance cars, with hybrid powertrains. While Adithya’s got the M5 Hybrid covered, we’ll focus on the fourth-gen Continental GT here, which has been christened the Bentley Continental GT Speed.
No twin headlamps, huh? Is that really a Bentley? Very much so! The Bentley Continental GT Speed is the first mainstream Bentley to get single headlamps since the 1950s. Bentley says the design of the whole car has been ‘visually cleaned’, giving it a more muscular stance and an overall refined look. The matrix LED headlights feature 120 digitally-controlled separate LEDs which enable a wider field of illumination and avoid forming ‘black holes’ when lighting up the surface.
The rest of the car has been redesigned as well, but you won’t mistake it for anything other than a Continental GT (not the bike, of course!), that’s for sure. The tailgate has been designed to generate downforce in such a way that there is no need for an active spoiler.
It is also the first Bentley to be powered by the new ‘ultra performance’ hybrid powertrain; a 4.0-litre V8 coupled with an electric motor placed within the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, and a 25.9 kWh battery pack placed behind the rear axle. While the electric motor alone is capable of producing 187 bhp and 45.88 kgm of torque, the combined output of the hybrid powertrain is 771 bhp and 101.97 kgm ot torque. There’s an electronic differential, and the system also makes use of active torque vectoring. In terms of electric-only range, the Continental GT Speed can cover a distance of 81 km, at speeds of upto 140 kph.
Along with all-wheel drive and the electronic differential, Bentley has also made use of a new dual-valve damper system and dual-chamber air springs, and it also claims that the overall driving dynamics of the car have improved with the weight distribution of 49:51 thanks to the placement of the hybrid system.
And of course, since this is Bentley, you will also be fed with dozes of luxury and sophistication. The interiors of the Continental GT Speed receive a new quilting pattern, and the 20-step adjustable seats come with the option of the Wellness seating programme, featuring Postural Adjust that helps reduce fatigue, along with auto climate. An 18-speaker Naim audio system with eight sound modes and bass inducers built into the front seats is available as the top-of-the-line option.
The Bentley Continental GT Speed hasn’t been confirmed for an India debut yet, but we are expecting an official announcement at some point in the future. However, do expect to wait for a while.
And in case we forgot, the Continental GT Speed is also joined by a topless GTC Speed too.
