{"id":263069,"date":"2023-08-02T18:45:25","date_gmt":"2023-08-02T16:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gtspirit.com\/?p=263069"},"modified":"2023-08-02T22:44:38","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T20:44:38","slug":"farewell-to-the-w12-driving-every-bentley-continental-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gtspirit.com\/2023\/08\/02\/farewell-to-the-w12-driving-every-bentley-continental-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"Farewell to The W12: Driving Every Bentley Continental Generation!"},"content":{"rendered":"

For two decades, Bentley’s roaring success has been underpinned by the sheer power and sophistication of the 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 engine. Not only is this engine robust and efficient, but it also offers an unparalleled level of refinement, setting new benchmarks for its category. The compact W12 has been the performance lifeblood of Bentley since the debut of the iconic Continental GT in 2003.<\/p>\n

However, as the revered automobile manufacturer embarks on its ambitious Beyond100 strategy towards comprehensive electrification, the celebrated W12 is gearing up for its swan-song. Production is set to draw to a close in April 2024, signalling the end of an era for this stalwart of Bentley engineering.<\/p>\n

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To mark the end of the road for the W12, Bentley invited GTspirit to enjoy the latest generation Continental in the Swiss\/French Alps, before I headed back to Crewe, in the UK, to try a few more W12 highlights which were produced in the past two-decades.<\/p>\n

The first generation of Continental GT was game changer, not just for the definition of what a GT car was, but also for Bentley. The Continental GT was the first car to leave Crewe following the change of ownership, the company was no longer under the control of Rolls-Royce following a sale to Volkswagen in 1998 for \u00a3479,000,000, a deal which involved Ferdinand Piech… you may have heard of him.<\/p>\n\r\n