Get to know Bentley’s new Continental GT Velocity ​​with 32 km / h for $ 275,000

2022 Bentley Continental GT Speed

Bentley

Bentley Motors is not resting on its laurels after a record year of sales in 2020 for the famous British luxury automaker.

The Volkswagen-owned company unveiled the 2022 Continental GT Speed ​​on Tuesday, a new performance version of its best-selling license plate. Bentley calls the vehicle the “most powerful and performance-oriented Bentley of all time”.

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

The two-door performance car has a 6.0-liter 12-cylinder engine with an output of 650 horsepower and 664 foot-pounds of torque. The car goes 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds. Its top speed is 208 mph, according to the automaker. The performance is slightly better than the Bentley Continental GT and Continental GT Cabrio with the same engine. It also includes additional power parts and tuning, officials said.

2022 Bentley Continental GT Speed

Bentley

“The new Continental GT Speed ​​is the pinnacle of performance grand touring,” said Matthias Rabe, Bentley’s technical director, in a press release.

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

“This is a big change for a company that grew up on 6.75-liter and W12 engines,” said Adrian Hallmark, Bentley CEO, during a media event. “We know that legislation, customer tastes and the characteristics of a battery-electric transmission fit perfectly with Bentley’s strategy. We are therefore very pleased about it.”

2022 Bentley Continental GT Speed

Bentley

Hallmark said the company has no plans to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) with V-12 engines. He said V-8 engines when combined with electrification should achieve similar or better performance. PHEVs combine battery technology with internal combustion engines.

Bentley sold 11,206 vehicles in 2020 – despite a seven-week shutdown of its UK plant during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic last spring. The Bentley Continental GT and the Continental GT Convertible together accounted for 39% of sales.