Meet Bentley’s new 208 mph Continental GT for $ 275,000

Bentley Motors does not rest on its laurels after a record year of sales in 2020 for the famous British luxury vehicle manufacturer.

The Volkswagen-owned company unveiled on Tuesday the 2022 Continental GT Speed, a new performance version of its best-selling commercial board. Bentley says the vehicle is the “most capable and performance-focused Bentley in history.”

The car is expected to cost about $ 274,900 when it goes on sale in the United States and Europe in the third quarter, followed by other markets in the fourth quarter.

The two-door car features a 12-cylinder 6.0-liter engine with 650 horsepower and 664 pound torque. The car travels between 0 and 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. Its top speed is 208 mph, according to the carmaker. Performance is slightly better than the Bentley Continental GT and Continental GT convertible with the same engine. It also includes additional performance and tuning parts, officials said.

“The new Continental GT Speed ​​represents the pinnacle of big performance laps,” Matthias Rabe, Bentley’s chief engineering officer, said in a statement.

The third-generation Continental GT Speed ​​could be one of the latest, if not the latest non-electrified versions of the car. Bentley plans to offer exclusively plug-in or battery-powered hybrid electric vehicles by 2026 and full-electric vehicles by 2030 only.

“This is a big change for a company that has grown with 6.75-liter engines and W12 engines,” Adrian Hallmark, CEO of Bentley, said during a media event. “We know that the legislation, customer taste and features of a battery-powered electric transmission fit the Bentley strategy perfectly, so we’re very excited.”

Hallmark said the company does not plan to have plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) with V-12 engines. He said V-8 engines combined with electrification are expected to achieve similar or better performance. PHEVs combine battery technology with internal combustion engines.

Bentley’s sold 11,206 vehicles in 2020, despite a seven-week closure of its factory in England during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis last spring. It surpassed the company’s record 11,006 units in 2019. The Bentley Continental GT and Continental GT Convertible combined accounted for 39% of its sales.