Bentley has announced a new optional sport exhaust system for the Continental GT, GT Convertible, and Flying Spur. The luxury automaker has partnered with a company named Akrapovič to offer a Titanium Sports Exhaust for its passenger cars that will change their very nature. Tick this box on the option sheet and your Bentley will go from demure and docile to demonic and deafening.
We don’t often think of Bentley as a maker of muscle cars, but this new exhaust may change all that. Let’s not forget that a standard Continental GT has a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 paired with an electric motor that, together, make a more-than-respectable 771 horsepower. Add all-wheel drive and a dual-clutch transmission to the mix, and you get a muscle car in the making. The only thing that’s been missing is a soundtrack, which this exhaust from Akrapovič provides.
What Comes With The Akrapovič Exhaust
When you order the new Akrapovič exhaust, your Bentley will sport a unique set of quad tailpipes branded with both the Akrapovič and Bentley logos. The exhaust system itself is made of titanium and super-alloys that make it over 22 pounds lighter than the stock exhaust, a welcome drop for a car that weighs, at minimum, 5,400 pounds. These new performance parts also feature a matte finish and are sandblasted and coated for durability and scratch-resistance.
As for what the Akrapovič exhaust sounds like, we’d compare it to something like a Mustang GT crossed with a Jaguar F-Type. It’s never not loud, with a raspy idle and a chorus of pops on liftoff. Hard acceleration, meanwhile, brings a rising crescendo of beats that sounds like the fabric of space and time is tearing. We like it, though it’s meant for the Bentley owner who wants to be noticed. Wallflowers need not apply.
As for important information such as pricing, Bentley hasn’t provided any because, well, does it really matter? The base price of a Continental GT is nearly $300,000, and we guarantee no one walks out of a Bentley dealership buying a base model anything. You can get the Akrapovič exhaust on any Bentley except the Bentayga SUV, and you can add it when ordering your car or have your dealer install it as long as you’ve got a fourth-generation Continental.
TopSpeed’s Take
If there’s one thing Bentleys have always been missing, it’s sound. While the Continental GT and its stablemates have been blessed with prodigious power since the beginning, they’ve been forced to express themselves through muted bellows that don’t offend anyone’s eardrums. Would we opt for the Akrapovič exhaust on a Bentley Continental GT? Honestly, yes. Bentley was smart enough to tie the new system into the car’s SPORT mode, so when it’s selected, a valve-actuated bypass opens up on each rear silencer. That means you can have your cake and eat it, too. A soft and silent Bentley in the mornings when leaving for the links, and a raucous rasp for the ride home.
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