Bentley is hard at work testing a new model that’ll showcase its racing pedigree, rather than the luxury reputation the brand has developed. The automaker has a storied history in motorsport, competing in endurance racing and GT car racing throughout its history. The new model, reports Carscoops, will focus on the automaker’s sporting credentials, with a performance-focused Continental model coming down the pipe.
Bentley Is Adding An Edge To The Continental
Bentley is currently testing a prototype, largely undisguised, which features huge canards and a large rear ducktail wing. Bentley already offers a more hard-edged Continental, the Speed, but it appears the new sports coupe will slot in above that, offering even more performance. There’s also a unique quad exhaust, which is presumably there to provide more sound and less weight.
Predictably, other than what appears to be absolutely necessary changes to enhance the current Continental’s performance, Bentley won’t change much about the upcoming coupe’s exterior design. Still, expect some further aesthetic cues once the hard-edged Bentley reaches production, especially inside, which will likely feature some further tweaks to help set it apart from more luxury-focused Continental models, like bucket seats.
A High-Performance Bentley Will Be A Real Monster
Whatever comes of this higher-performance Bentley, it’ll be bringing some serious numbers to the table. For context, the current Continental GT Speed makes an already stratospheric 771 horsepower. 188 of those horses are brought via the hybrid system, which this car may retain or ditch entirely (to save weight). It’s probable the car will retain the GT Speed’s big twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine. On its own, the V8 makes 591 hp, and we’re expecting many of the car’s luxury features will be ditched to save some weight.
TopSpeed’s Take
If this upcoming Continental is really going to be an even more hardcore take on the coupe, expect some truly staggering performance. Frankly, it’s something Bentley hasn’t done in recent memory. The automaker is, first and foremost, a luxury brand. Despite all that blurry-eyed Le Mans heritage, that’s what sells, and it’ll be interesting to see just how much luxury the brand is willing to strip away in the name of performance.
Source: Carscoops
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