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handcrafted interior trimmed exclusively in leather and wood. With no comparable challengers at its price point, the Continental GT’s impact was immediate and phenomenal. It totally transformed Bentley, setting in motion a 10-fold increase in sales that shaped a new market sector and reinvented the brand for the modern era. From delivering just 414 cars in 1998, its production in 2022 was 15,174 units – all made at the company headquarters in Crewe in northwestern England by approximately 4,000 employees. At its origin, the brief for the new “mid-sized Bentley”, intended as a long-distance cruiser for crossing the continent [hence the name], was complex: broaden the appeal of the brand to new customers, be sportier and more affordable than current models, have space for four with luggage, match the performance of the Aston Martin DB7 and Porsche 911 Turbo, be designed, engineered and built in Crewe and be delivered within four years. With design and performance inspiration coming from the 1952 R Type Continental, the new Continental GT adopted its power line, haunch and sloping roofline, and was put through a more gruelling testing programme than any other Bentley before it in extreme climate conditions worldwide. The launch price was GBP110,000, which was GBP40,000 less than the average Bentley of the time. From the unveiling of the prototype in September 2002 to final product specification in March 2003, more than 3,200 deposits were taken before the first deliveries. The drop-top version of the model was subsequently presented in 2005.
The exterior of the special GT S for Shanghai is the strikingly sinister Magnetic dark grey metallic. © Bentley Motors
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The Continental GT Azure Range. © Bentley Motors
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F or Bentley, there was a before the Continental and after the Continental, so defining was this model in the history of the brand, not only in terms of sales but in setting a whole new direction for the marque when it was first introduced in 2003. The first all-new Bentley since 1930, the first with all-wheel drive and the first to sport the innovative 550 bhp, 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine, the ultimate two-door grand tourer helped to catapult the company to the top spot of the luxury car segment. It won acclaim as the quickest bona fide four-seat coupé on the globe with a maximum speed of more than 300 km/h, and a 0-100 km/h time of 4.8 seconds – it has since been upgraded to 650 bhp and boasts acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds. Showcasing air suspension with double front wishbones without compromising on luxury, it featured an entirely
Continental GT S showcases design motifs marking 20 years of the car that has defined the modern era of Bentley Motors. © Bentley Motors
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