It’s only fitting that the announcements of Bentley and Bugatti’s newest models have come within days of each other, owing to Ettore Bugatti’s infamous quip where he said Bentley make “The fastest trucks in the world.” It seems that W. O. Bentley took no notice of Bugatti’s jibe in the early 20th century, continuing to make powerful and luxurious cars that combined high performance with high levels of pampering. 

Their renaissance really began in 2003, fresh off the back of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans and with the launch of the Continental GT. This has been the model most closely associated with the “reborn” Bentley under VW ownership and through three generations it has been the first car people think of when the brand is mentioned. Entering its fourth generation, the new Continental GT coupé and GTC convertible look set to continue the legacy, although one key part of the recipe has been altered to move with the times: the powertrain.

New Bentley Continental GT and GTC - V8 hybrid powertrain & performance

The new 2024 Continental GT follows the Bentayga in offering a plug-in hybrid option. Unlike the large SUV, the petrol-electric drivetrain sits at the top of the line up and replaces the 6.0 litre W12 engine that had been available for the last 21 years. As such, the new hybrid model carries the name reserved for the fastest cars from Crewe: Speed. The new Continental GT coupé lives up to its name with a top speed of 208 mph, while the GTC convertible is limited to 177 mph. The outright pace comes courtesy of the 771 bhp and 737 lb ft (1,000 Nm) combined output from the V8 and electric motor, making it the most powerful road going Bentley ever made. 584 bhp and 590 lb ft (800 Nm) comes from the 4.0 litre twin turbo V8, while 187 bhp and 332 lb ft (450 Nm) is available from the electric motor that sits between the engine and the 8-speed automatic transmission. 

The electric motor is hooked up to a 22 kWh battery that can return up to 50 miles of electric running. It can be recharged in 2 hours and 45 minutes at 11 kW from an AC public charger or closer to three and a half hours on a home wallbox by my calculations. With the electric range on offer, I can see a lot of commutes being completed without firing up the engine at all. You’ll want to though, as special attention has been paid to it to ensure that it sings through the exhaust pipes delivering a real cross-plane V8 sound, without the need for artificial or electronic enhancement. Good.

The engine can also be used to recharge the battery on the move - at the cost of fuel consumption, of course - but the way you’ll want to use both aspects of the powertrain is together. Performance plug-in hybrids offer the best of both worlds in my opinion, with strong initial acceleration coming from the e-motor before the high rpm power of the engine makes its way to the red line. The electric motor effectively negates turbo lag, allowing for Bentley to use a pair of single-scroll turbochargers. When changing gears, the motor comes into play once again, torque filling to provide smoother shifts and maintain rapid acceleration when your foot is pressed into the carpet. Having experienced a V8 plug-in hybrid powertrain in the new Mercedes-AMG S 63 E Performance, I’m expecting the new Bentley to feel relentless from standstill to its top speed, which will only take 33 seconds to reach.

New Bentley Continental GT - Chassis technology

What speeds up must slow down, so the new Continental GT Speed makes use of regenerative braking and some monumental discs. As standard, iron brakes are 420 mm in diameter at the front and 380 at the rear, but carbon brakes can be optioned that increase the sizes to 440 mm and 410 mm. Regardless of the material, 10-piston callipers are used at the front with 4-piston callipers at the rear. The brakes that sit behind the 22” wheels are just the tip of the chassis iceberg, with an electronic limited slip differential, all-wheel steering, intelligent torque vectoring, active anti-roll stabilisation and all-wheel drive all featuring under the skin of the new model. 

Dual-valve air suspension is standard and this has been tuned to provide greater comfort when using the Continental GT as a continent-crossing grand tourer, but also to provide greater body control when the roads turn twisty. With the battery being positioned behind the rear axle, the weight distribution of 49/51 is almost perfect and allows the car to be “completely planted” with its new stability control system completely on. There is a Dynamic setting to allow for some slip from the rear, and an option to turn it off completely. Personally, I like the sensation of cornering on rails with limitless grip but it is good to have the option to remove any electronic interference if you find yourself on a circuit.