Meet the new 208 mph Continental GT on Bentley for $ 275,000

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

The Volkswagen-owned company unveiled on Tuesday the 2022 Continental GT Speed, a new high-performance version of its best-selling license plate. Bentley calls the vehicle “the most capable, performance-focused Bentley ever.”

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

The high-performance two-door car has a 6.0-liter 12-cylinder engine with a horsepower of 650 horsepower and a torque of 664 feet. The car runs 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds. Its top speed is 208 mph, according to the carmaker. The performance is slightly better than the Bentley Continental GT and Continental GT convertibles with the same engine. It also offers additional performance and adjustment parts, officials said.

“The new Continental GT Speed ​​is the culmination of high-performance tournaments,” Bentley chief engineer Matthias Rabe said in a statement.

The third generation Continental GT Speed ​​could be one of the last, if not the last unelectrified versions of the car. Bentley intends to offer exclusively plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles with battery until 2026 and complete electric vehicles only until 2030.

“This is a big change for a company that has grown with 6.75-liter engines and W12 engines,” Adrian Hallmark, CEO of Bentley, told a media event. “We know that the legislation, the taste of the customers and the characteristics of the battery-electric transmission fit perfectly with the Bentley strategy, so we are very pleased with it.”

Hallmark said the company does not intend to have plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) with V-12 engines. He said he expects V-8 engines combined with electrification to achieve similar or better performance. PHEV combines battery technology with internal combustion engines.

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