The
Bentley Continental GT is a two-
doorA vehicle door is a partition, typically hinged, but sometimes attached by other mechanisms such as tracks, in front of an opening which is used for entering and exiting a vehicle. A vehicle door can be opened to provide access to the opening, or closed to secure it. These doors are similar to a...
'two plus two'
grand touringA grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....
coupéA coupé or coupe is a closed car body style, the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
released in 2003, replacing the previous
Rolls-RoyceRolls-Royce Motors was created from the demerger of the Rolls-Royce car business from Rolls-Royce Limited in 1973. The original Rolls-Royce Limited had been nationalised in 1971 due to the financial collapse of the company, caused in part by the development of the RB211 jet engine...
-based
Continental R and TThe Bentley Continental R is a large, expensive, luxury coupé made by Bentley from 1991 to 2002. It was the first Bentley to feature a body not shared with a Rolls-Royce model since the S3 of 1965, the first to use the GM 4L80-E transmission, and the quickest, most expensive, and most powerful...
.
It is equipped with a (6.0
litreThe litre or liter is a unit of volume. There are two official symbols: the Latin letter L in lower and upper case . The lower case L is also often written as a cursive ℓ, though this symbol has no official approval by any international bureau...
)
twin-turboTwin-turbo refers to a turbocharged engine on which two turbochargers compress the intake charge. There are two commonly used twin turbo configurations; parallel twin-turbo, and sequential twin-turbo...
charged
W12 engineA W12 engine is a twelve cylinder piston engine in a W configuration. W12 engines are manufactured in two distinct configurations. One configuration uses four banks of three cylinders , coupled to a common crankshaft . The other uses three banks of four cylinders coupled to a common crankshaft A...
, which produces a
DINDeutsches Institut für Normung e.V. is the German national organization for standardization and is that country's ISO member body....
-rated
motiveIn thermodynamics, motive power is an agency, as water or steam, used to impart motion. Generally, motive power is defined as a natural agent, as water, steam, wind, electricity, etc., used to impart motion to machinery; a motor; a mover. The term may also define something, as a locomotive or a...
powerIn physics, power is the rate at which work is performed or energy is converted. It is an energy per unit of time. As a rate of change of work done or the energy of a subsystem, power iswhere P is power, W is work and t is time....
output of at 6,100
rpmRevolutions per minute is a unit of frequency of rotation: the number of full rotations completed in one minute around a fixed axis...
, and
torqueTorque, also called moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
of at 1,600-6,100 rpm.
TorsenTorsen is a type of limited slip differential used in automobiles. It was invented by American Vernon Gleasman and manufactured by the Gleason Corporation. Torsen is a contraction of Torque-Sensing...
-based permanent
four-wheel driveFour-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4 , or AWD is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
is standard. It will accelerate from in 4.8 seconds, and go on to reach a top speed of .
The four door
Continental Flying Spur saloon was first displayed at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show.
The
Bentley Continental GT is a two-
doorA vehicle door is a partition, typically hinged, but sometimes attached by other mechanisms such as tracks, in front of an opening which is used for entering and exiting a vehicle. A vehicle door can be opened to provide access to the opening, or closed to secure it. These doors are similar to a...
'two plus two'
grand touringA grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....
coupéA coupé or coupe is a closed car body style, the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
released in 2003, replacing the previous
Rolls-RoyceRolls-Royce Motors was created from the demerger of the Rolls-Royce car business from Rolls-Royce Limited in 1973. The original Rolls-Royce Limited had been nationalised in 1971 due to the financial collapse of the company, caused in part by the development of the RB211 jet engine...
-based
Continental R and TThe Bentley Continental R is a large, expensive, luxury coupé made by Bentley from 1991 to 2002. It was the first Bentley to feature a body not shared with a Rolls-Royce model since the S3 of 1965, the first to use the GM 4L80-E transmission, and the quickest, most expensive, and most powerful...
.
It is equipped with a (6.0
litreThe litre or liter is a unit of volume. There are two official symbols: the Latin letter L in lower and upper case . The lower case L is also often written as a cursive ℓ, though this symbol has no official approval by any international bureau...
)
twin-turboTwin-turbo refers to a turbocharged engine on which two turbochargers compress the intake charge. There are two commonly used twin turbo configurations; parallel twin-turbo, and sequential twin-turbo...
charged
W12 engineA W12 engine is a twelve cylinder piston engine in a W configuration. W12 engines are manufactured in two distinct configurations. One configuration uses four banks of three cylinders , coupled to a common crankshaft . The other uses three banks of four cylinders coupled to a common crankshaft A...
, which produces a
DINDeutsches Institut für Normung e.V. is the German national organization for standardization and is that country's ISO member body....
-rated
motiveIn thermodynamics, motive power is an agency, as water or steam, used to impart motion. Generally, motive power is defined as a natural agent, as water, steam, wind, electricity, etc., used to impart motion to machinery; a motor; a mover. The term may also define something, as a locomotive or a...
powerIn physics, power is the rate at which work is performed or energy is converted. It is an energy per unit of time. As a rate of change of work done or the energy of a subsystem, power iswhere P is power, W is work and t is time....
output of at 6,100
rpmRevolutions per minute is a unit of frequency of rotation: the number of full rotations completed in one minute around a fixed axis...
, and
torqueTorque, also called moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
of at 1,600-6,100 rpm.
TorsenTorsen is a type of limited slip differential used in automobiles. It was invented by American Vernon Gleasman and manufactured by the Gleason Corporation. Torsen is a contraction of Torque-Sensing...
-based permanent
four-wheel driveFour-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4 , or AWD is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
is standard. It will accelerate from in 4.8 seconds, and go on to reach a top speed of .
Flying Spur
The four door
Continental Flying Spur saloon was first displayed at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. The Flying Spur utilises the most of the technical underpinnings of the Bentley Continental GT, and was introduced to
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
an and
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
n markets in the summer of 2005. Together, the Bentley Continental GT and Flying Spur have boosted Bentley's annual production from around 1,000 units in 2003, to 9,200 units in 2006.
One notable aspect of the Continental Flying Spur is its
grilleA grille or grill is an opening of several slits side by side in a wall or metal sheet or other barrier, usually to let air or water enter and/or leave but keep larger objects including people and animals in or out.-In powered vehicles:In automotive engineering, a grille covers an opening in the...
. Made to look like traditional chromed brass mesh, it is a metal-covered plastic-core. This was fitted as a safety feature; it is designed to break apart upon impact with a pedestrian.
GTC
The
convertibleA convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle. Many different automobile body styles are manufactured and marketed in convertible form....
version of the Continental GT, the
Continental GTC, was first presented in September 2005, and was introduced to several world markets in the autumn of 2006. With the second generation Azure, it is the second Bentley convertible released in 2005. The roof is produced by
KarmannWilhelm Karmann GmbH, commonly known simply as Karmann, in Osnabrück, Germany is the largest independent motor vehicle manufacturing company in Germany...
in
OsnabrückOsnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hannover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehengebirge and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
.
It uses identical
powertrainIn a motor vehicle, the term powertrain or powerplant refers to the group of components that generate power and deliver it to the road surface, water, or air. This includes the engine, transmission, driveshafts, differentials, and the final drive...
detail as the GT, and completes the acceration discipline of in 5.1 seconds. With the roof up, it will reach a top speed of , and with the roof down .
GT Speed
On 1 August 2007, Bentley released details of a more powerful GT. Power is increased to , with a top speed of and a 0-60 mph time of 4.3 seconds. The Continental's weight is also reduced by . Minor exterior changes include a tinted front grille and larger exhaust tailpipes. The price for this model is £137,000. The Continental GT Speed is the first production Bentley officially capable of reaching , and the world's fastest four-
seaterA car seat is the chair used in automobiles. Most car seats are made from cheap, but durable materials, made to withstand as much beating as possible...
, despite the fact the car weighs over .
GTZ
Unveiled in the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, the Continental GTZ is a rebody option by
coachbuilderA coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles.The trade dates back several centuries. Rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Anne's Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer , formed in 1810. Others included Hooper, H. J...
ZagatoZagato is a design consultancy and engineering services company situated just outside Milan, Italy.The company's premises occupy an area of 23,000 square metres, of which 11,000 square metres are covered....
.
GTC Speed
Released in 2009, it incorporates the same engine as the GT Speed and the Flying Spur Speed.
Supersports
In February 2009, Bentley announced the production of Bentley Continental Supersports. The car was unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, announced to be available in autumn 2009 worldwide, while North American cars would be available by summer 2010.
The first Bentley capable of running on both petrol (gasoline) and biofuel (
E85E85 is an alcohol fuel mixture that typically contains a mixture of up to 85% denatured fuel ethanol and gasoline or other hydrocarbon by volume...
ethanol). The car's 6.0
litreThe litre or liter is a unit of volume. There are two official symbols: the Latin letter L in lower and upper case . The lower case L is also often written as a cursive ℓ, though this symbol has no official approval by any international bureau...
W12 engineA W12 engine is a twelve cylinder piston engine in a W configuration. W12 engines are manufactured in two distinct configurations. One configuration uses four banks of three cylinders , coupled to a common crankshaft . The other uses three banks of four cylinders coupled to a common crankshaft A...
was rated at 6,000
rpmRevolutions per minute is a unit of frequency of rotation: the number of full rotations completed in one minute around a fixed axis...
and @ 1,700-5,600 rpm - using either fuel. The car has acceleration of 3.9 seconds, acceleration of 8.9 seconds, top speed of , making it the fastest and the most powerful production Bentley ever. The Supersports is already known as the best handling Bentley. It delivers 1.29 g forces on a 300 foot skid pad, as compared to its sibling the Continental GT speed which can perform up to .98 g forces on a 300 foot skidpad.
It includes a revised
ZFZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, and commonly abbreviated to ZF, is a German public company headquarted in Friedrichshafen, in the German south-west region of Baden-Württemberg....
6HP26A
tiptronicTiptronic, is a type of manumatic automatic transmission developed by Porsche, and used in its vehicles, and those of its licensees.- Overview :...
automaticAn automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
with "Quickshift" system that reduces
shift timeShift time refers to the time interval between gear changes in a transmission during which power delivery is interrupted. This is usually in reference to motor vehicles but can apply to any gearbox. Reducing shift time is important in performance vehicles or race cars because it means the vehicle...
s by 50%, and enables double downshifts. The car uses a
TorsenTorsen is a type of limited slip differential used in automobiles. It was invented by American Vernon Gleasman and manufactured by the Gleason Corporation. Torsen is a contraction of Torque-Sensing...
T-3 centre differential for the 40:60 rear-biased torque split for the
four-wheel driveFour-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4 , or AWD is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
system. Other changes include revised Continuous Damping Control (CDC), 20-inch lightweight
alloy wheelAlloy wheels are automobile wheels which are made from an alloy of aluminium or magnesium metals .-Characteristics:...
s (with increased 25 mm offset on rear wheels) with 275/35 ZR20 Pirelli Ultra High Performance tyres, advanced
BoschRobert Bosch GmbH is a German diversified technology-based corporation which was started in 1886 by Robert Bosch in Stuttgart, Germany.Robert Bosch GmbH is the world's largest supplier of automobile components and has business relationships with virtually every automobile company in the world. The...
Electronic Stability ProgrammeElectronic stability control is a computerized technology that improves the safety of a vehicle's stability by detecting and minimizing skids. When ESC detects loss of steering control, ESC automatically applies the brakes to help "steer" the vehicle where the driver intends to go...
(ESP) with switchable Dynamic Mode, Carbon fibre-reinforced Silicon Carbide (C/SiC) ceramic disc brakes (the largest and most powerful brakes ever fitted to a production car), weight saving over Continental GT Speed, automatic retractable
spoilerA spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to 'spoil' unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion. Spoilers on the front of a vehicle are often called air dams, because in addition to directing air flow they also reduce the amount of air...
(deploys at ).
US model has MSRP of $267,000, with early vehicles not having E85 capability, which would be available in summer of 2010 for US market.
World Speed Record on Ice
In early 2007, a Bentley Continental GT Speed, driven by four-time World Rally Champion
Juha KankkunenJuha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
, broke the World Speed Record on Ice - on the frozen
Baltic SeaThe Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and the...
near
OuluOulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the province of Oulu and the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the largest city in Northern Finland and the sixth largest city in the country. Its population growth rate is almost comparable with that of the Helsinki Metropolitan...
,
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
. It averaged in both directions on the "flying kilometre", reaching a maximum speed of . The previous record was , achieved with a
BugattiBugatti was founded in Molsheim, France a manufacturer of high performance automobiles by Ettore Bugatti, a French man described as an eccentric genius....
EB110 Supersport.
The record-breaking Bentley was largely standard except for a roll-cage, aerodynamic improvements, and low-temperature fuel and calibration.
External links