The new Bentley Continental GT will represent “a paradigm shift in driving performance” over its predecessor, according to engineering boss Rolf Frech.
Autocar has now driven the new Bentley Continental GT. Click here for the first drive
The grand tourer, which has made its public debut at the Frankfurt motor show, has been created to “set a benchmark for all GTs”, said Frech, who added that he believes “this [car] redefines luxury driving again”.
Bentley hopes the new version of its most popular model — which is even expected to outsell the hugely successful Bentley Bentayga SUV — will appeal to both loyal and new customers and be “even more agile without compromising luxury”, helped by a chassis, suspension, W12 engine and dual-clutch eight-speed gearbox that are all new.
The Crewe-based car maker’s intention is to
 extend the Continental GT’s appeal to those buyers who might traditionally choose
 a Porsche for its handling qualities. The design of the third-generation Continental has taken inspiration from the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept car shown at the Geneva motor show in 2015. Frech said the style remains “clearly Bentley and Continental”.
The new car is longer than the outgoing model, with the front wheels 135mm further forward, which in turn has allowed the bonnet to be extended and the nose to be lowered. The wheelbase has increased by 110mm to 2856mm. The model is 25mm wider than the current car. It is 1954mm wide, 1392mm tall and 4805mm long.
The shorter front overhang also means improved weight distribution. With two adults on board and light luggage — which Bentley deems “typical grand touring occupancy” — it has changed from 56:44, front to rear, to 53:47. The new Continental’s unladen weight distribution is 55:45 compared with 58:42 previously.
While the front retains 
the muscular look of the second-generation model, the rear design is more refined. This has been achieved by so-called ‘superforming’, a precision technique that heats aluminium panels to 500deg C, allowing more defined lines to be created. The Continental
 is the first production car to have an entire body side made via the superforming process, Bentley claims.
The Continental’s body sits on an aluminium structure. Eschewing the previous generation’s Volkswagen Phaeton-based platform, 
the model uses the Porsche- developed MSB (modular standard drivetrain) platform that is also in the new Porsche Panamera. However, the Bentley is keen to point out that its parts are “82% unique”, despite the collaboration with Porsche.
The car uses an “intelligent mix of body-in-white materials to improve torsional stiffness while reducing weight”, saving 85kg on the previous body, said Bentley chief engineer Bob Teale. The kerb weight for the W12-powered launch model is down from 2320kg to 2250kg.
