BENTLEY has pulled the covers from its eagerly awaited third-generation Continental GT super coupe, ahead of a public debut at the Frankfurt motor show next month, revealing a design heavily inspired by the company’s most recent concept cars.

While the EXP 10 Speed 6 and the more recent EXP 12 Speed 6e remain unconfirmed as possible small sportscar additions to the Bentley fold, the positive feedback from the show car brace has influenced the look of the new Continental.

With four seats, the new Continental is not the production version of the EXP concept which accommodates just two, but if the British car maker does give a Porsche Cayman and Boxster competitor the green light, the popular design language will be given another new canvas.

Despite its significant stature, Bentley says the new Continental feels smaller and more dynamic to steer compared with its predecessor thanks to a weight reduction of 80kg, a 48-volt active anti-roll bar system, and enhanced electric power steering.

A shared platform with Porsche’s Panamera will certainly have played a key role in the new Bentley’s handling and comfort standards, although the British car maker points out that 82 percent of the Continental is unique to the model.

Like the outgoing model, the new GT is powered by a 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 pumping out 467kW and a hearty 900Nm of torque, which is up 44kW and 200Nm over its equivalent predecessor, but can’t match the massive 522kW/1017Nm output of the Supersports that sent the second-generation model out with a bang.

While the engine size and layout is unchanged over the predecessor (albeit positioned further rearward for improved weight distribution), the new car has an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission in place of the outgoing torque-converter unit.

Ten square metres of wood are crafted into the Continental’s cabin, requiring nine hours of meticulous fitting and finishing, and the timber is only upstaged by the diamond-quilted leather coverage, which is everywhere and feature 712 stitches per diamond.

The cabin centrepiece is a new Bentley Rotating Display, which houses a 12.3-inch touchscreen for displaying the information and entertainment system options and controls, but if the occupants feel the large screen is spoiling the purity of the elegant interior it can be electrically rolled out of sight and into the dash.

No mention has yet been made of a convertible version or a V8-powered Continental variant, but more engine options are likely to follow the initial show car in both hard-top and cabriolet forms, mimicking the roll-out of the previous GT. A hybrid variant is also expected.

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