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2019 Bentley Continental GT: High fashion at its best

The new 2019 Bentley Continental GT has been revealed, and it is a stunner. It shows a healthy influence from the brand's recent show cars, especially the EXP 10 Speed 6. This is a very positive thing. Whereas the exterior of the second-generation car looked exactly like that of the first, the new car sports fresh surfacing that is at once more elegant and more athletic, while also delighting in technical detailing that deepens upon second and third glance. The styling of a six-figure, ultra-luxury Grand Tourer must evolve slowly for a number of reasons. Their wealthy buyers – looking for a prime valet spot at the country club more than at the night club – tend to be a bit more conservative in their tastes than those in the market for a knife-edged exotic. They also prefer their recently purchased six-figure, ultra-luxury Grand Tourer not to be rendered irrelevant in the status game by the introduction of a radically differentiated new model. This is especially true for Bentley and its Continental GT. This model, launched back in 2004, though tracing its roots back much further, brought the company's design out of the anachronistically (if delightfully) baroque and into the aerodynamically imposing modern era. It was the first true 21st century Bentley, decades ahead of the neoclassic design it replaced while faithfully harkening back to cues from the marque's venerable history, especially its long flanking body line, and conspicuous rear haunches. It immediately became Bentley's best seller, a position it has maintained until this year, when it's been outsold slightly by the gauche and indistinct Bentayga SUV. We believe this error will correct once the new GT is available. Much of the success of the design comes from its transference to a platform shared with the new Porsche Panamera. The previous-generation Continentals were built on underpinnings originally created for the VW Phaeton, a configuration that was, at heart, front-drive with all-wheel-drive capabilities, packaging that required engine placement ahead of the front axle. This new stablemate has a rear-wheel-drive bias, allowing for more traditional and gracious grand touring proportions on the surface. It reflects the movement of the engine farther back on the chassis, with a long hood and more hunkered-down and planted rear. We detect luscious shades of 1960s Ferrari Superfast cues in this tapering front-to-rear, side-to-side and along the flanks.

Question of the Day: What's the greatest British car ever?

The British automotive industry has produced everything from high-production econo-commuters to staggeringly luxurious oligarch-wagons, along the way winning plenty of races and building plenty of beautiful machines. The original Mini led directly to the past half-century of transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive cars built everywhere, the MGB put the sporty little convertible into everyone's reach, and the Morris Oxford became the most beloved motor vehicle in India. So many to choose from, but we want you to pick one. What will it be? Related Video:

2024 Bentley Bentayga runs the luxury meter to its 'Ludicrous' setting

The 2024 Bentley Bentayga Extended Wheelbase (EWB) Mulliner leads the SUV's way into the coming model year. The rest of the range is ready to follow, bringing new standard and optional equipment and tech, a new trim, and the most discrete cosmetic changes. Starting from the bottom of the trim ladder, the rank goes Bentayga, new Bentayga A, Bentayga Azure, Bentayga S, and Bentayga EWB. The new A trim will be limited to certain markets that Bentley hasn't identified yet. For cosmetics, re-profiled grilles bring the front fascia into line with changes made to the Flying Spur range. The exterior paint menu grows with eight new satin colors, taking the total menu of standard colors to 112 choices, and new 21-inch wheel designs come in three finishes. Inside, and slightly more than cosmetic, the Bentayga A and Azure feature deep-pile carpeted mats created using more sustainable wool treatment processes. Beneath them, the cabin carpet is now 100% recycled nylon instead of virgin nylon. The A goes with a straight-vaned grille above black lower intakes, as well as "A" badging and 21-inch black-and-bright machined wheels. At the top, the EWB gains access to a Mulliner Design Specification that appends a large rear spoiler to the top of the hatch, plus copious carbon fiber accents around the body. A new electrical architecture enables features like adaptive cruise control, surround-view cameras, and lane departure warning, as well as some app-based remote features like Intelligent Park Assist. And there's a new option in sound with a Bang & Olufsen Beosonic audio system alongside Bentley's traditional Naim partnership. Among the equipment changes, rear-wheel steering trickles down from the EWB as standard equipment on the Azure and S trims, optional for the rest, shrinking the turning circle by about three feet. Another EWB feature descends from the heights, too: The Airline Seat Specification with Postural Adjust and Seat Auto Climate is an option on all the regular Bentaygas. These seats not only recline, they can be set to one of seven temperature zones and then measure the seat occupant's temperature and humidity to know whether to add more heat or ventilation. They also possess a massage function that cycles through 177 pressure points over three hours so that no part of a body suffers static fatigue. Or, put another way, the seat tosses and turns for you — and always keeps the cool side up — so that you don't have to.