Photos have emerged showing the upcoming Bentley Continental GTC testing on the Nurburgring in Germany. The dramatically different 3rd generation Continental will almost certainly lose it’s top within the next year. These photos give us an opportunity to take a look at the GTC during it’s final testing phase.
It’s thought that engineers have spent some considerable time working out how to fit the folding canvas roof into the Continental’s lower design. They seem to have done a great job as the design looks very similar to that of the Coupe. The front and rear are still low and the side features that tell-tale Continental rear haunch.
The Continental sits on the Porsche MSB platform which it shares with the new Panamera. Despite the family connection, 82% of the parts are unique to the Continental GT. The Continental GTC will undoubtedly weigh slightly more than its Coupe counterpart.
The GTC will likely mimic the Coupe when it launches with a 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12 TSI engine and a dual-clutch eight-speed transmission. Expect the same 635 PS and 900 Nm of torque with a 0 to 100 km/h time slightly slower than the Coupe’s 3.7 seconds. It will likely use an active all-wheel drive system and the critically acclaimed 48-volt Dynamic Ride System.
In terms of competition, Bentley’s natural competitor will be the Aston Martin DB11 Volante. Yet, Mercedes-AMG also offer something a little different, as will BMW too with the new 8 Series. Traditionally, there has been little alternative in the market space that the Continental occupies. Things have definitely changed!
