The fourth `Continental GT` replaces the old `W12` with a plug-in hybrid system built around a `4.0-litre V8`, reaching up to `782 hp` in `Speed` form and `680 hp` in the `High Performance Hybrid` versions. Bentley has not merely electrified its grand coupe; it has also reworked the design, the cabin and the active chassis to push the car even further upmarket. The result is striking, with performance beyond the old `W12 Speed` and a genuine electric-driving capability.
At heart, the `Continental` remains true to itself. It still answers a Porsche 911 with a far more luxurious and longer-legged vision of grand touring, but now with near-instant response thanks to the electric side of the drivetrain. This generation will be fascinating as a used buy because it depends even more than earlier cars on software health, cooling quality, the `DCT` and the integrity of its high-voltage system.