Bentley Teases Sharper Continental Variants

Fresh off a record year, Bentley is busy releasing new and updated models for 2022. Not long ago, the automaker released its Azure line, an ultra-exclusive trim level for all models focused on driver and passenger wellbeing. Today, Bentley teased a new Continental variant that will build on the GT and GTC models. This year is the car’s 70th anniversary, so it’s not surprising to see new, speedier variants rolling out. The company will unveil its new grand tourers on June 6.

The announcement spans all of two sentences, though we do get an image and a video to go with the release. Unsurprisingly, Bentley’s teaser divulges almost no detail, but there is a tantalizing hint in the video shared with the release. As the camera fades, the “S” logo appears, which could indicate that the new cars will get higher-performing variants a la the Bentayga S.

The Bentayga S gets a twin-turbocharged 542-horsepower V8 capable of propelling it to 60 mph from a standstill in 4.4 seconds. Not bad for a 5,000-plus-pound SUV, so the implications for the Continental are huge. The Continental GT and GTC are no slouches already, but more power is almost never a bad thing.

The current Continental GT Speed gets a 6.0-liter W12 engine that makes 650 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque. The car can run 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds and go on to a top speed of 208 mph. An even more focused Continental would be quite a thing, indeed.

This teaser follows close on the heels of a unique new product from the automaker. Bentley says its Azure variants will be available for all five model lines. Designed for “wellbeing behind the wheel,” the line features a list of features intended to make the drive – or ride – as carefree as possible. Each model equipped with the package comes with a 48-volt anti-roll system that irons out imperfections in the road. Bentley says the tech senses body movement and can apply up to 1,300 newton-meters of anti-roll torque in less than half a second.

Despite massive uncertainty in the world, Bentley and other luxury automakers had a banner 2021. The Crewe, England-based company sold 14,659 cars last year, a massive increase over 2020 and a record-setting sales year. The company’s cars aren’t quite as lavishly expensive as Rolls-Royce’s, but the Continental GT already costs more than $200,000 to start, so it’s far from a bargain.