Bold new Bentley Continental GT Speed breaks cover

Bentley on Tuesday revealed its new fourth-generation Continental GT Speed.

Building on the dapper looks of the outgoing model, the new Continental GT Speed stands out with a fresh face and headlamps home to a distinctive new ‘eyebrow’ motif. The designers have treated the rest of the body to a comprehensive tidy up with fewer breaks in its surfaces; a tweak that provides more muscularity and a more refined shape.

22-inch wheels with a directional design inspired by tiger claws are fitted as standard and available in dark tint paint with polished accents, gloss black or silver painted. Behind them lurk sizeable brakes with 10-piston calipers up front and four-piston calipers at the rear. These clamp down hard on either standard ventilated iron rotors (420mm front, 380mm rear) or optional carbon-silicon-carbide discs (440mm front and 410mm rear).

The rear gets a redesigned bumper and a new boot lid design incorporating an integrated aerodynamic lip that does away with the deployable spoiler fitted to the previous model. There are also restyled tail light clusters and a new set of exhaust tail pipes. 

Powering the Continental GT Speed is the marque's new Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain that pairs a 441kW/800Nm 4.0l twin-turbocharged V8 with a 140kW/450Nm electric motor hidden inside the transmission. The latter is juiced by a 25.9kWh battery mounted behind the rear axle. With both units combined, Bentley says, the vehicle boasts a total output of 575kW and 1,000Nm of torque. Sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed dual clutch transmission and an electronic limited slip differential, you can expect this grand tourer to shoot from 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds and hit a top speed of 335km/h. 

The drop-top Continental GTC Speed is only marginally slower off the mark with 0-100km/h coming up in a said 3.4 seconds, while maximum speed is limited to 285km/h. 

There's also a pure electric drive mode that allows you travel as far as 81km — and at speeds of up to 140km/h — on battery power alone. Plugged into an 11kW charger, Bentley says the vehicle's lithium-ion battery pack can be fully replenished in under three hours. 

Aside from being faster in a straight line, the new Continental GT Speed promises to be sharper through the corners thanks to a newly fettled Bentley Performance Active Chassis that uses technology such as all wheel steering, torque vectoring (front to rear and across the axles), the firm's renowned 48V active anti-roll system and a new generation of ESC control software. There's also a new twin-valve damper system with dual-chamber air springs; an arrangement that not only improves the vehicle's ride but also its handling. The new damper control ECU now has complete control over independent compression and rebound damping delivering better body control during rapid directional changes.

Other tweaks include improved steering feel, revised 49:51 weight distribution and a new dynamic mode that allows a degree rear axle slip for a more engaging driving experience. 

The cabin is awash with luxurious features such as 20-way adjustable seats upholstered in a new precision quilt pattern; a dark chrome finish applied to the door handles, switches and speaker grilles, a choice of three audio systems ranging from 650W up to 2,200W, acoustic glass, ambient lighting with 30 different hues and a snazzy 12.3-inch rotating infotainment display offering wireless integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. As usual, Bentley's Mulliner division is at hand to cater to your customisation whims. 

UK deliveries will start later this year with pricing starting at £236,000 (R5.4m).