2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
The new Bentley Continental GT was kept under a sheet ahead of its Mayfair debut – its reveal at the Jack Barclay showroom was officially its debut in the UK.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
The 2018 Continental GT is completely new – apart from the glovebox handle. What the Jack Barclay sales team say sets this car from other exotica is that it gets used properly. Customers are interested in carrying their children in the rear seats and making sure the boot is big enough for their needs – this thing won't get left in a garage and used twice a year.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
The Jack Barclay showroom – now owned by dealership network HR Owen – dates back to 1953, and you can still see the original black and white tiled floor in these images here. The vendor prides itself on developing close relationships with customers, but this being Mayfair that's not to say someone won't pop in of a Thursday lunchtime and buy a Bentley on impulse.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
The Bentley badge and the iconic grille both have a strong cachet that goes back to the very beginning of motoring. Imagine the literary James Bond in his Blower Bentley or the famous Le Mans wins of the late 1920s. Nobody does luxury quite like the British...
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
Each Continental GT is built to order at Bentley's factory in Crewe – a car won't be built until a new customer requests it. This means that each car is produced bespoke for every driver. The team at Jack Barclay says that in their experience, customers add around £40,000 of extras to every Continental GT ordered.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
The new Continental features a 'diamond-in-diamond' option for its leather interior trim which sees a quilted pattern hand-stitched across all four seats. Each diamond takes 712 stitches to put together.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
The sales staff at Jack Barclay say that a major selling point of the new Continental GT is that this model has been designed so that you can fit two sets of golf clubs inside the boot – an important test for the practicality of any grand tourer among buyers, and one of the most requested features over the outgoing car.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
The 12 motif on the grille behind the front wheels is a sign of the 12 cylinders to be found underneath the vast bonnet of the Continental GT, but also a wink to the EXP 12 concept car that lent the new tourer its elegant looks.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
The Continental uses the latest version of the Volkswagen Group's six-litre twin-turbo W12 engine, which produces 626bhp and 664lb ft torque. Power is transferred to the road through a dual-clutch eight-speed automatic transmission.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
There are a range of 21- and 22-inch alloy wheels available as options on the new Bentley.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
Every Continental GT comes with a plaque certifying its status as a homebuilt British product.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
Every Continental GT comes with a plaque certifying its status as a homebuilt British product.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
You can feel the quality of the Bentley in the solidity of its switchgear and the old-school classiness of the design and layout. There are wood veneers and milled aluminium touches galore.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
The sales staff at Jack Barclay say that every person who has ordered a new Continental GT from them so far has specced the optional fancy new revolving infotainment unit that turns and switches the touchscreen display for a more traditional polished wood panel.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
The LED front lights have an intricate pattern designed inside them that brings to mind Swarovski crystals. These are the sorts of details that set a £150,000 car apart from the cheaper competition, but expect to see this sort of premium feature trickling down to lesser machinery in years to come.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
The LED front lights have an intricate pattern designed inside them that brings to mind Swarovski crystals. These are the sorts of details that set a £150,000 car apart from the cheaper competition, but expect to see this sort of premium feature trickling down to lesser machinery in years to come.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
The Continental GT features a rear wing that deploys out of the boot lid at speed, or it can be switched on using a button in the centre console.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
Bentley has tried to engineer the car so that it offers an engaging drive for the enthusiastic pilot, but a comfortable ride for someone who wants to exploit the Continental GT's effortless grand touring potential. The quad exhausts hint at the potential drama beneath the calm surface.
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
2018 Bentley Continental GT makes UK debut
The Continental uses the latest version of the Volkswagen Group's six-litre twin-turbo W12 engine, which produces 626bhp and 664lb ft torque. Power is transferred to the road through a dual-clutch eight-speed automatic transmission.
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