First unleashed on the market in 2003, the Bentley Continental GT was a symbol of the revered auto manufacturer’s renaissance. The Continental offered a luxury GT designed with superior usability for daily drivers while embodying the Bentley grand touring spirit. For 2011 the GT received a makeover both inside and out to create a machine set to higher standards of design, engineering and luxury.
The 2011 Continental GT coupe features a redesigned body fit with enhanced definition compared to previous models. While delivering a modern look the exterior of the GT is reminiscent of the original 1950s R-Type Continental with its powerful lines and rear haunches. Flared elliptical exhaust pipes give the GT a sporty look and the bootlid’s double horseshoe design evokes the new Bentley Mulsanne. The rear also features Bentley’s signature “floating” LED lamps wrapping the corners of each wing to provide more emphasis to the vehicle’s wider stance. Up front, the classic Bentley radiator keeps the matrix appearance but is given a more upright stance while the traditional four-lamp headlights are adorned with daylight-running LED lamps. All told, the vehicle was widened 48mm in the rear and 41mm at the front tracks.
The refined body styling is more than just looks, however, as the engineers at Bentley’s Crewe, England, facility molded the GT with a more aerodynamic shell. Using an extensive series of wind tunnel tests, the designers perfected the GT’s underbody fixtures including the wheel arch and exhaust to reduce lift and decrease the vehicle’s coefficient of drag to a svelte 0.33Cd. But enough with the physics lesson – what this really means for you is more stability and control at higher speeds.
Bentley Continental GT
While much of the attention to the new Continental GT went to the refined body, the interior of the vehicle certainly doesn’t lack refinement. The entirely hand-crafted cabin is overflowing with luxurious adornments to provide total comfort for all four passengers. For the driver, the instrument panel and dashboard – delicately fashioned from high-quality leather – give homage to Bentley’s flying wings. Touchscreen technology and chrome-bezelled dials arise from the center console again echoing the Bentley motif with winged buttresses. The cabin trim includes the finest soft-touch leathers, UV-stabilized wood veneers, cool-touch metals and deep-pile carpeting, every detail hand-crafted in the pristine Bentley factory.
The GT’s unique Cobra design seats utilize complex foams and body-supporting materials to provide superior comfort and support over long drives while electronically-operated seat belts and driver knee airbags provide additional safety. The front seats – featuring a slim-line design and scalloped backs – make an additional 46mm of legroom for rear passengers.
To delight driver and passengers alike, the Continental GT contains a class-leading infotainment system featuring touch-screen technology and a 30GB on-board hard drive. The infotainment system uses a massive 8-inch screen to display audio controls, telephone, environmental settings, and a navigation system. The vehicle’s Google Maps compatible navigation system combines an in-car hard disc drive and a DVD player to access route data, harnessing dynamic navigation information to steer you clear of traffic and find destinations via geo-tagged photos.
For all its beauty, this car has plenty of brawn. Built with one of two premium engines – a 6.0 liter W12 or a high-output 4.0 liter V8 – the Continental GT comes packed with muscle. The unique “W” configuration for the 6.0 liter engine is specially calibrated to supply increased power, torque, and fuel efficiency to the tune of 567bhp and 516lb-ft torque. The engine is capable of running on petrol, E85 bioethanol or any combination of the two fuels from one tank. Further improving efficiency, the GT’s advanced Fuel Quality Sensor tracks the ratio of fuels used and guides the engine timing through the Engine Control Unit, resulting in a consistent power supply with no compromise for performance even when fueled by low-emission fuels. The 4.0 liter V8 engine – new to the Bentley Continental – will achieve a 40 percent improvement in emissions while still providing superior power and torque. The V8 model will be released in late 2011.
All of this power is delivered to the GT’s all-wheel drive system through an enhanced six-speed Quickshift transmission. Designed to reduce shift times by half to a slim 200 milliseconds, the gearbox can also handle double downshifts and provides improved acceleration throughout the range of gears. The vehicle’s 40:60 rear bias power split gives the GT a sporty feel around mid-corner acceleration with dynamic power adjustment to cater to different road and driving conditions. All in all, the new Continental GT provides an incredibly smooth drive with superior handling and all the luxury that comes with the esteemed Bentley reputation.
