There’s still lots to like about the current Continental GT but there’s no denying that its age and mechanical layout do prevent it from being some of the things Bentley might like it to be.

It does luxury rather well but its stonking weight (we’ve measured them at 2400kg) and how much of that sits over the front wheels mean that agility and dynamism aren’t really strong points. Not that, ultimately, it needs to be but rivals, while arguably not nailing refinement in quite the same way as a Bentley, are much better sports cars. Truer GT cars, if you like.

An Aston Martin DB11 has moved the GT game on, the Ferrari California is relatively light (while Ferrari might reasonably argue that the 812 Superfast is more Super GT than GT) and the Bentley is, currently, quite inert by those standards.

A new model on a Porsche-created platform and with the new, lighter W12 — and lighter again V8 — should, we hope, give a welcome dose of manoeuvrability and, if we’re lucky, dynamism to a package that has never been short of refinement.

Bentley Continental GT to be brand's most high-tech car yet