Images: Courtesy of Bentley Motors Limited
Shedding Weight
Setting a lighter, more eco-oriented example for their Bentley stable mates are the new 2013 Continental GT V8 Coupé and GTC V8 Convertible.
After almost a decade on sale, and following a complete refreshing, Bentley has introduced an all-new V8 engine and a significant new entry point to its popular Continental GT and GTC cars. This new direct-injection, 4.0 litre twin-turbocharged unit is essentially the same as the Audi S8’s, but Bentley has tweaked it a little, sacrificing 20bhp of power for 11Nm more torque.
The final figures reveal a maximum power of 500bhp and an extraordinary peak torque of 660Nm. Combine these with a weight saving of 50kg over the W12 engine and you can expect sub-5 second 0-100 km/h acceleration times and a top speed of over 290km/h.
“The new engine will have all the exhilarating power, drama and performance,” Wolfgang Dürheimer, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors explained “complemented by innovative powertrain technology that delivers exceptional fuel efficiency and emissions.”
Those innovations include cylinder deactivation, which at low speed turns the V8 into a V4, and an eight-speed ZF-supplied automatic gearbox that block shifts up to four gears at once to improve responsiveness.
How can you tell the V8 and W12 apart? Well, the V8 has a black mesh grille instead of chrome, its lower fascia has three air inlets that are now more evenly sized and the chrome exhaust finishers resemble a figure eight. The easiest way to identify these models however is to check the badges – the W12’s sets the Bentley “B” logo against a black background whereas the V8’s badges are against a red background. English understatement. At its best.
Model Bentley Continental V8
Engine 4-litre twin turbocharged V8
Power 500bhp
Torque 660Nm
0–100km/h 4.8 secs
Max. Speed 303 km/h
Kerb Weight 2295kg
