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New Bentley Continental GT debuts next month with hybrid power

Bentley has a new Continental GT coming next month, but it won’t arrive with the gas-only 8- or 12-cylinder engines seen in years past. The fourth-generation car will get BentleyÂ’s new Ultra Hybrid Performance powertrain, a plug-in hybrid system that delivers big power from a V8 combined with an electric motor. The automaker claims 771 horsepower and around 738 pound-feet of torque from the electrified powertrain, saying that it will make the new GT “the most powerful and most dynamically capable Bentley road car in the companyÂ’s 105-year history.” For reference, the current GTÂ’s W12 engine produces 650 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, propelling the car to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. The current V8 makes 542 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque. Bentley didnÂ’t give acceleration numbers for the new model, but with more than 100 additional horsepower and more than 70 extra pound-feet of torque over the W12, it should be noticeably quicker. Bentley also claims the Continental GT will have 50 miles of electric-only range and carbon dioxide emissions of under 50 grams per kilometer. Power will continue to go through all four wheels along with torque vectoring and an electronic limited-slip differential. Bentley will also include more trick features such as four-wheel steering and its 48-volt electronic active anti-roll control. The automaker may continue offering a gas V8 as an entry point to the line, but hasn't confirmed it either way. The Continental GT comprises a third of BentleyÂ’s overall sales, with almost 100,000 units sold in its more than 20-year run on the market. That popularity is reflected in the number of GT variants Bentley offers, though we donÂ’t yet know how and where the hybrid will be positioned in the GT catalog. Prices will likely climb a bit to start around $250,000 and could reach the mid-$300,000 range at the top.  

Take a closer look at the Bentley Bacalar with Top Gear

We haven't returned to the Golden Age of coachbuilding yet — meaning the the century-old, Roaring Twenties process of purchasing a rolling chassis from a manufacturer and delivering it to a design house for one-of-a-kind bodywork. Assuming such artistic reversion is even possible, the emphasis is on the word "yet." Aston Martin announced the formal split of its Q division into three disciplines, Commission for low-volume and one-offs, Collection for precious tweaks to production vehicles, and Accessories for individual pieces. Bentley has made a similar tripartite distinction, and takes us closer to coachbuilding history with creation of the Mulliner Bacalar. In doing so, Bentley adds another super-low-volume, super-dearly-priced piece of hardware to the ranks of such emerging from Europe. Top Gear's Jack Rix stopped by to have a seat in the $1.96-million roadster named after a lake in Mexico and inspired by last year's EXP 100 GT concept.    It looks just as good in the studio as it does in photos. The Yellow Flame that incorporates ash from burned rice husks as an environmentally friendlier means to a metallic effect looks more matte to us, but we have no complaints. A lot of thought and work clearly went into the 22-inch, diamond-cut wheels and their "ninja star" center caps. The infinite detailing inside mixes different finishes for the same materials, including two looks for what Rix dubs "bog wood," and extends to the knurled ends on the steering column stalks. And our opinion is that every Continental needs that ramped console, and at least the option of the sinuous center tunnel lines that create individual storage areas behind the seats for two Schedoni bags. Schedoni, by the way, has made the custom-fitted luggage for Ferrari cars since 1977, and also supplies Lamborghini, Maserati, Pagani, and Rolls-Royce. One of the most exquisite points about the Bacalar might be a detail Rix doesn't get into, since the detail concerns the continuation series of the 1929 4.5-litre Blower Bentleys that Mulliner is producing for another 12 clients for the same $1.96M price. As Autocar explains, Bentley Boy Tim Birkin's heel created a depression in the floorboard of Blower #2 that he raced at Le Mans. The continuation cars can be such precise copies that Mulliner will ask Blower buyers if they want that same heel depression and other scuff marks in their floorboards.

Bentley builds its final 6.75-liter V8, ending a 61-year production run

Bentley has just finished its very last 6.75-liter V8. While engines come and go, this is significant because Bentley has been building this engine, known as the L-series, for 61 years. This final engine will go in the 30th and last Bentley Mulsanne, a 6.75 Edition by Mulliner, marking the end of the flagship sedan. The L-series engine was first introduced in 1959, and according to Bentley, it was developed in order to develop more power than its existing inline-six without adding weight or taking up more space. The engine in fact weighed 30 pounds less than the six-cylinder, and it made about 180 horsepower. That original engine "only" had 6.2-liters of displacement, and it wasn't until 1971 that it would reach 6.75 liters thanks to increased stroke. This final version of the engine is significantly different from its fuel injection to its twin-turbochargers, but is based on the same design. And with 530 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque, it's the most powerful iteration of the engine. At 61 years, the Bentley engine is arguably the V8 with the longest production run. While the first-generation Chevy small block V8 was introduced earlier for the 1955 model year and is still built in crate engine form, GM stopped using it in production cars in 2002. Far fewer Bentley engines were built, though, with a total over 36,000, as opposed to the millions of Chevy small blocks in the world. Of course, volume is sort of the antithesis of what makes a Bentley a Bentley. With the 6.75-liter engine out of production, all of Bentley's engines are derived from VW Group engines, from its W12 to the plug-in hybrid V6. Related Video: