Welcome to the launch of the Bentley Continental GT, the world's fastest four seat coupe, the first all-new and unique Bentley design for over 70 years and its most significant new model since the very first Bentley, the 3-litre, was first seen back in 1919.
For Bentley Motors, the Continental GT is more than a product launch as it is symbolic of the change that the company is going through. It is the first offspring of a new family of cars, which deliver unparallelled levels of refinement, craftsmanship and driver involvement - or as Bentley describes this combination, the ultimate British Sporting Grand Tourer.

Styling
The styling story of the Continental GT dates back to August 1999 when design director, Dirk van Braeckel was briefed to prepare a concept for an all new Bentley coupé: one that would use 80 years of Bentley design as its inspiration, yet look only to the future in its shape. It took just four months - until just before Christmas - when van Braeckel submitted his preferred design to the board of Bentley Motors. It was approved on the spot.
The key to honouring Bentley's design past without creating a 'retro' car, was to take the design philosophy that inspired cars such as the Bentley Speed Six of 1928 and the 1952 R-type Continental and use it in a contemporary context.
Bentley's design philosophy for the Continental GT can be quantified as follows: the car must have a short front overhang and a dominant bonnet expressed by the unusually large distance between the front axle line and the A-pillar. The pillarless cabin needs to be sleek and compact while the rear haunches should be taut and pronounced, giving the impression of a crouching animal ready to pounce.
Overlaying these highlights is a design language from the hearts of the styling team. It dictated that the Continental GT be styled to be curvaceous and sinuous with a form that appears and disappears like muscle on a gymnast's arm, sculptural yet lean.
The cabin of the Continental GT is designed to make Bentley devotees and marque newcomers feel equally at home. Those familiar with the Bentley way of doing things will be reassured by the expanses of top quality hide and fine wood veneers; those for whom Bentley ownership is a new experience will discover a new level of luxury, style and effortless good taste.

Design
The design brief for the Continental GT was to create a car with as much room as the most spacious coupés, equip it with the performance of the world's most dynamic supercars and retain the whole within compact dimensions.
There are many questions raised by such a demanding specification and it took sizeable measures of blue sky thinking and detailed innovation before it could be realised.
One key to maximising interior space is raising the so-called 'H' point - the position in which the driver and front passenger hips naturally sit, and which in all Bentleys is elevated above where it would be in a conventional supercar. The benefits are many: first it means the commanding driving position - another Bentley hallmark - is retained and the driver and passenger's hip to heel angle is as close to anatomical perfection as is possible. Finally, and critically, a high and upright driving position liberates vital room in the back for rear seat passengers.
The result is a true two plus two, a phrase rather devalued today by being applied to cars with little more than a ledge behind the front seats. In the Continental GT it means a car capable of carrying two adults and two children in comfort for unlimited distances.
Another less obvious but no less important benefit of the Continental GT's design is the omission of a B-pillar. There are many aesthetic reasons for adopting the pillarless look, but for those inside looking out and particularly those in the back, the unbroken expanse of glass from the front to the rear of the cabin provides a feeling of great space and airiness.
Even the 370 litre luggage capacity has only been achieved through fresh thinking. In cars of this size, it is accepted practice to site the fuel tank between the boot and rear seat, the Continental GT's fuel tank, however, is under the floor of the car. It's a tricky piece of design but there's no doubting the effectiveness of the result.
Not only is there enough boot space to swallow enough luggage for a family fortnight away, if that holiday happens to be to the ski slopes, it will take all four sets of skis inside the car or two pairs of skis and a couple of snow boards. All of this mind, without having to resort to an unsightly and insecure roof rack.

Design Technology
The Continental GT is the first Bentley to have been designed in the virtual world. Using the very latest CATIA-based Computer Aided Design (CAD) programmes, the Continental GT represents a huge step forward in Bentley design technology. With all components existing in the virtual world before a single one is created as a physical property, it is possible to see how each part interacts with all the others, illuminating problems and conflicts that, in the past, may never have come to light until the part had been machined.
This process cuts down development time and costs and enables Bentley's engineers to design in reliability and consistency in each component. Indeed, one critical aspect of the design work now done in the virtual world enables Bentley to produce theoretically perfect component designs before the Data Control Model (DCM) is made.
The DCM is as close to a mathematically faultless physical model of the interior and exterior of the car as it is possible to have. And it is from this that are taken all the measurements used to specify the tools that will make it when production starts.
Designing this way results not simply in a better built product, it is also likely to be safer . Bentley's advanced Dynamic Crash Analysis (DCA) capability means much of the trial and error traditionally associated with providing a car with good impact resistance has been bypassed.
Nevertheless it should be understood that DCA, as with all virtual design work will never replace real world test procedure, nor was it ever designed to. Its role is simply to ensure that by the time these tests are conducted, the product is in as good shape as possible to meet each new challenge.

Powertrain
Even before it had been determined how the Continental GT would be powered, two crucial decisions were made. First, the Continental GT would possess a new level of performance that placed it among the fastest road cars on earth; secondly that performance would remain inimitably Bentley. Reconciling these issues would require a great deal of power, but more importantly, huge torque delivered evenly across the rev-range.
But if the car's packaging requirements were to be met the engine couldn't take up much space under the bonnet and this is where you discover that the secret of the Continental GT's interior room is, in fact, its under the bonnet. By choosing the basic architecture of the W12 powerplant used elsewhere in the VW Group, Bentley's engineers were provided not simply with the opportunity to develop it into a unique Bentley engine, but also to exploit its phenomenal packaging attributes.
Instead of using two long banks of six cylinders, the W12 staggers the cylinders in each bank creating effectively two extraordinarily narrow angle (15deg) V6 engines sharing a common crankshaft and giving rise to the 'W' formation.
This naturally provides a phenomenally short engine for its capacity, and frees space that can be reapportioned to the car's interior. Indeed it is the most compact twelve cylinder engine on the market is even more compact than some V8s.
Once the decision to use the W12 had been made, it was necessary to change entirely its specification to adapt it for the Continental GT.
Two KKK turbochargers were carefully integrated into the under-bonnet package. At the same time, Bentley's engineering team modified the internal componentry of the powerplant until all its power, torque, emissions, consumption and durability targets had been met or exceeded.
When they were done, the result was a car with 552bhp (560PS/411kW) at 6100rpm. But power is nothing without the torque to back it and this has been achieved not simply by providing 650Nm (479lb ft) of torque but by making it available at just 1600rpm, a speed at which most engines are little more than idling and stays that high up to 6000rpm.

All wheel drive power directed to all four corners
Having created one of the world's most powerful and responsive engines, it was clear that an equally extraordinary transmission would be needed to cope with it.
The use of all-wheel drive was decided in the earliest stages of the project as it was felt that this new level of power demanded a commensurate level of control. Besides, if the Continental GT was to be exploited by its owners to its maximum potential, it would need to be at home in all environments from the Santa Monica Boulevard to the compacted snow surfaces of Alpine resorts.
Nevertheless, in order to ensure that the right Bentley feel is provided, Bentley's powertrain and chassis engineers have experimented extensively with the distribution of torque to the front and rear axles. This has been done to provide the Continental GT with all the security of a all-wheel drive system but when appropriate, the added fun factor inherent within a rear-wheel drive layout.
Gearbox: six speed auto - the most advanced of its type in the world
Providing the link between the driven wheels and the engine is a six-speed automatic transmission built for Bentley by ZF and the first of its type to be used in an ultra-high performance coupé. The defining characteristic of this transmission is its ability to lock its torque converter in normal driving, providing the same immediacy of response expected of manual transmissions. Despite this, shift quality is so good that often the most obvious evidence of a gearchange having taken place is the repositioning of the rev-counter needle or centre dash gear display.
Tiptronic actuation means that the car can be used either as a conventional automatic or as a clutchless manual where gear changes take place only on command from the driver, via either the gear lever or paddles mounted behind the steering wheel.
It is a fair observation that a 6-litre, twin-turbo engine does not strictly need six gears. Then again, to look at any element of Bentley performance in terms of need is perhaps to miss some of the point of the marque. It's true that many Continental GT drivers will spend much of their time allowing the transmission to shift itself, however, Bentley also knows that most of its customers will be enthusiasts who will relish the prospect of flicking up and down the gearbox at the pull of a paddle or the push of a lever. Under the circumstances, six speeds seem entirely appropriate.

Chassis: a car for drivers and passengers alike
Perfecting ride and handling is one of the most complex and difficult areas of car design. For the Continental GT designers this job has been doubly tough, for few cars have been brought to market with a greater expectation of excellence in both areas.
Even so, by starting with well defined and ambitious targets and applying clear thinking and the skills of a 25-strong chassis engineering team to realise them, the Continental GT has been equipped with a chassis that should appeal to sybarites and thrill-seekers equally. The result is a car with firm rather than harsh suspension, impressive resistance to roll, pitch and heave yet compliant enough to ride poorly surfaced roads with absolute equanimity.
The basis of the Continental GT's chassis strategy is an extremely stiff body, without which, even the most sophisticated of suspension systems can be undermined. To this was applied the latest in suspension technology featuring an innovative double wishbone arrangement at the front - designed to minimise torque reactions through the steered wheels - and a multi-link rear axle behind. Extensive use of aluminium has been made to lower unsprung mass while the entire front subframe of the car is fashioned from stainless steel. Air springs are used at each corner, each one containing its own infinitely adjustable electronic damper.
These electronic dampers do more than offer a few different settings for the driver to play with. Within their set parameters they are capable of adjusting themselves continuously without the driver ever being aware of it.

Electronic stability systems: Unintrusive and at the discretion of the driver
Naturally both traction control and the latest Bosch Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) are fitted, though they can be disabled at the discretion of the driver - Bentley has no desire to dictate how the Continental GT is driven. The secret to understanding their function is to see them as additional to the Continental GT's dynamic behaviour, rather than as an essential ingredient in keeping a car of these capabilities safe.
The Continental GT is capable of monitoring a whole range of dynamic attitudes such as lateral acceleration, individual wheel speeds, throttle position and brake pressure. No car can defy the laws of physics and there are certain extreme conditions that even ESP will be unable to guard against, but as an extra line of defence for the unfortunate driver caught out by unexpected circumstances, its safety value is real and evident.

Safety: prevention is even better than cure
Naturally the Continental GT is equipped with the full suite of passive safety equipment. As well as possessing exceptional front, side and rear deformation characteristics on impact, there are two front airbags, four side airbags and two side curtain bags that, unusually for a coupé, run along the full length of the cabin. Seat belt pretensioners are used for all four seats.
Of course avoiding the accident in the first place has always to be preferable. To this end the Continental GT is specified like few others in the market. All-wheel drive, when correctly exploited, has colossal safety advantages in adverse conditions, while the latest traction, stability and brake control systems offer further opportunities for drivers to extricate themselves from danger. And of course there is the powerful engine and its ability to keep time spent on the wrong side of the road during overtaking to an absolute minimum; and should you ever have to accelerate away from trouble, few will do so more quickly than this.

Progressive but utterly faithful to its heritage
In all physical senses, the changes the Continental GT has brought to Bentley have transformed the company beyond recognition. The car itself and the renewed factory in which it is being built mark the dawn of a new and thrilling era for the marque.
But in a less tangible but no less important way Bentley is actually returning to its heartland values, as defined by the founding vision of WO Bentley. The strength of any brand in this sector is the thought that created it, and while there were times in the distant past when that vision had become little more than a nostalgic fairytale, now and increasingly it resonates through the walls of the Crewe factory.
WO's proposition is as compelling today as it was 84 years ago. He would combine cutting edge design with outrageous performance and superlative craftsmanship to create a potent and unique motoring experience. Moreover it would have a purpose that took it beyond mere recreation and turned it into something of real use and significance.
And while it would offer great comfort and unquestioned luxury as it went about its daily business, so also it would possess a thinly veiled ability to turn into something very special at any moment.
He also understood that a good car will always be greater than the sum of its parts. A car may look mightily impressive on paper, but it all still has to gel on the road to create an authentic Bentley experience, one that makes the driver feel in his or her element whatever the conditions.
A true Bentley is a car that goes beyond satisfying the needs of its customers: it should exceed all expectation and do so routinely; it should possess an ambience beyond mere description, one that has to be experienced before it can be appreciated. Above all it should blend apparently conflicting interests as if they were made for each other, proving thrilling yet cosseting, imposing but subtle, a car with great presence but lacking entirely in ostentation. These are precisely the qualities the Continental GT - a true British Grand Tourer - has been styled, engineered and designed to provide and the result is a car of which WO Bentley would be justifiably proud.