Spy shots of the new Bentley Continental GT date back to late 2015 when a prototype was spotted hiding underneath a shortened current-gen Porsche Panamera body. The Conti is now approaching the end of its testing cycle, so it’s no wonder this one has most of the production bits and pieces. However, there’s still a great deal of camo slapped all over the body, so we’ll have to wait for a while until Bentley will be kind enough to remove the mascara.
If the stunning EXP 10 Speed 6 is any indication, the all-new Continental GT will be a stunner. Same goes for the convertible judging by the lovely design of the EXP 12 Speed 6e shown last month in Geneva. Don’t expect a styling overhaul, though. Even though it’s clad in camouflage, we can still observe the third generation of Crewe’s posh grand tourer will adopt an evolutionary design.
But don’t let the familiar design trick you into believing it will be more of a facelift rather than a brand new car. Since it will get the underpinnings of the latest Panamera, it means the next Continental GT is hitting the gym hard and will lose a serious amount of weight thanks to the MSB platform. Fun fact: the heaviest version of the outgoing model tips the scales at a whopping 2.5 tonnes. Needless to say, a diet is more than welcome, but keep in mind Bentley’s boss Wolfgang Dürheimer has already revealed the lightest version won’t drop below the two-tonne mark.
Although this particular prototype has the old W12 engine, the production model will be blessed with the Bentayga’s new one. In the world’s most opulent SUV, the biturbo 6.0-litre pushes out a meaty 600 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. It’s not going to be all about the W12 since the new generation will also use an evolution of today’s V8 4.0-litre with extra oomph than the 520 hp and 502 lb-ft available in the V8 S variant.
Bentley has already made the promise to electrify the Conti by pairing a V6 petrol engine with an electric motor, but it won’t be available right away as initially the Bentayga will get the hardware sometime next year.
As to when we’ll get to see the new Continental without that annoying disguise, look for a September debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Photos: Automedia
Gallery: 2018 Bentley Continental GT new spy shots
