Bentley has updated its Continental family for the 2020 model year, adding some goodies to the W12 version but, perhaps more pertinently, also bringing in the much-anticipated V8 engine.
Eight's great
Let's begin with that new engine. In the preceding VW-era Continentals, the V8s were often the pick of the range and while the new W12 is a stormer, there's a feeling this new motor could enliven the brilliant Conti even further. It has a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 engine with 550hp and 770Nm; if those numbers sound familiar, it's because this is the unit you'd find in a mechanically similar Porsche Panamera Turbo.
The four-wheel-drive Conti GT V8 has quad pipes, which differentiates it from the large ovoid exits on the W12 models (another signifier is the V8 badges on the front wings), and it'll run on to 318km/h, where legal, while ticking off 0-100km/h in 4.0 seconds. That's as a Coupe, as you can have a V8 GT Convertible (GTC) soft-top, which can match the Coupe's top speed but which is ever-so-slightly slower to 100km/h from rest, taking 4.1 seconds for the sprint.
Like this engine in other group applications, the Bentley can shut off four of its eight cylinders when required to save fuel, and it comes on anything between 20 and 22-inch alloys. All the marque's usual luxurious appointments, like a 650-watt, ten-speaker Bentley Audio system, the Bentley Rotating Display in the dash, the highest quality leathers and the finest wood trims, and the Dynamic Ride System active anti-roll chassis, will either all be standard fit or on the options list.
Let there be light...
Moving to the W12, to ensure Coupe buyers aren't jealous of their GTC-owning peers, a Panoramic Glass Roof is available for the hard-topped model. It features polarised glass that reduces glare, as well as an interior blind that is operable from the console of the Conti. That blind is clad in Alcantara to match one of the 15 headliner colours available from the Bentley palette.
Beyond this, W12 buyers - whether GT or GTC - can specify High-Gloss Carbon Fibre, as a technical finish for the fascia and doors. Opt for this and the centre console switches to a Piano Black Veneer.