Bentley's rebirth under the Volkswagen Group umbrella kicked into high gear with the introduction of the Continental GT in 2003, which is Bentley's first-ever W12 brute. Updated in 2015 with the debut of the Bentayga, the iconic W12 was retired in April 2024 in favor of a new powertrain.
Said powertrain is a plug-in hybrid twin-turbo V8 dubbed Ultra Performance Hybrid. Similar to the W12, its first application is the Continental GT. Expected to be dubbed the fourth-generation Continental GT rather than an extensive refresh of the third generation, the newcomer will debut Tuesday, June 25 at 16:00 British Standard Time.
The attached teaser photo reveals completely different headlights from the outgoing Continental GT and Continental GTC, with said headlights taking inspiration from the limited-run Mulliner Bacalar. Only 12 units will be made, whereas the Mulliner Batur will number 18 coupes and 16 convertibles. Not surprising anyone, said models are all powered by the 6.0-liter TFSI W12 mill.
Speaking of which, the Batur is rated at 750 ps and 1,000 Nm of torque, meaning 740 horsepower and 737 pound-feet. How does that compare to Bentley's new hybridized V8 setup? The answer is pretty good, but as expected, the Ultra Performance Hybrid is punchier still due to 782 ps (771 hp). The curious part is that Lamborghini's new Urus SE produces 800 ps (789 hp), meaning that Bentley has room to improve its Ultra Performance Hybrid.
Advertised with a WLTP electric range of 50 miles (80 kilometers) and CO2 emissions of less than 50 grams per kilometer, the Continental GT Speed has recently topped 208 miles per hour (335 kilometers per hour) in the Ryfylketunnelen.
Photo: Bentley
Ryfylketunnelen runs between Norway's Ryfylke and Stavanger. At 14.4 kilometers (8.9 miles), it currently holds the records for the world's longest subsea tunnel and the world's deepest tunnel of any kind. Its lowest elevation is minus 292 meters or 958 feet. By comparison, the railway tunnel that connects Folkestone in England with Coquelles in France is a train-only affair with an overall length of 50.46 kilometers (31.35 miles) and a lowest point of 115 meters (377 feet) below sea level.
A film showcasing the Continental GT unofficial underwater speed record will be released on June 25 as well. The press release attached below states that Bentley's third-gen Continental GT is underpinned by "a new and purpose-built platform." However, that's a bit misleading because said architecture was introduced by the Panamera in 2016. The Volkswagen Group calls it MSB, and thus far, it has only three applications: the Panamera, the Conti GT, and the Flying Spur.
The MSB served as the basis for the J1 platform of the Taycan and e-tron GT, which have been extensively updated for model year 2025. Its most powerful recipient to date is the Taycan Turbo GT, which develops up to 1,034 ps (1,020 hp), resulting in a 0-100 of 2.3 seconds with launch control.
Bentley still doesn't have an electric vehicle to call its own. Initially slated for late 2025 but now due in late 2026, the British manufacturer's first electric vehicle will be produced in Crew on the PPE architecture of the Macan and Q6 e-tron.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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