The stunning Bentley Continental GT coupé will now have even further visual appeal with the creation of an optional range of contemporary design features packaged as the Mulliner Driving Specification.
Designed by Bentley’s bespoke coachbuilding division, the Mulliner Driving Specification is being offered in direct response to customer demand for a more overtly sporting character to the Continental GT.
Bentley is also announcing enhancements to the standard specification 2005 Model Year Continental GT. In addition a new range of factory and Bentley Mulliner options is also being introduced, further increasing customer choice and the ability to specify a car to suit their needs.
OVERVIEW
• Optional Mulliner Driving Specification is the first significant product development for Bentley Continental GT since its launch.
• Created in response to customer demand for further sporting feel.
• Introduces Bentley Mulliner craftsmanship to Continental GT range.
• Mulliner Driving Specification package will comprise:
- 20-inch 2-piece, 7-spoke alloy sports wheels with bespoke Advan Sport 275/35 R20 tyres
- Drilled alloy sports foot pedals and footrest
- Sporting gear lever finished in knurled chrome and hide
- Bold two-tone leather and veneer combinations
- Diamond quilted hide to facings, doors and rear quarter panels
- Embroidered ‘Bentley’ marque emblem to seat facings
- Indented hide headlining
- Dark-stained Burr Walnut or Piano black veneer.
- Two-tone hide trimmed multi-function steering wheel
- Cross-stitching to seats and door panels
- Aluminium facia panels
- Vavona and Olive Ash premium wood veneers
- Embossed ‘Bentley’ marque emblem to seat facings
- Lambswool rugs or deep pile carpet mats with hide trimming
- Mulliner alloy fuel filler cap.
- Voice activation for in-car telephone in six languages
- Increased interior trim option with addition of Magnolia hide
- Carpets and seatbelts that can be matched to either the main or secondary hide colour.
• The cost of the optional Mulliner Driving Specification is £6,000.00.
• Orders will be taken from October 2004.
Bentley Mulliner Driving Specification in detailThe new Mulliner Driving Specification is the first significant product development for the Continental GT since its launch. The new package also marks the first occasion that Bentley Mulliner, the world’s most respected coachbuilder, has been able to demonstrate its unique skills on the Continental GT.
The Mulliner Driving Specification will be available to Bentley Continental GT customers as a complete package and is designed to enhance the sporting appearance of the car by introducing contemporary materials and tones to the already exquisite cabin.
Robin Page, head of interior design, Bentley Motors
The mighty Bentley Arnage T seemed like the perfect place to start when Bentley Mulliner’s design team considered how to create a Continental GT with a more sporting appearance. The Arnage T’s use of diamond quilted hides and aluminium trim options to the pedals and facia gives it a distinct and purposeful look – a powerful representation of the Bentley theme.
Those same materials are used to make the Mulliner Driving Specification the most contemporary Bentley yet. Bold, two-tone leather and dark veneer combinations give the car a modern yet distinct feel, much like a fashionable driving watch. By combining heavily lacquered, dark veneers with lighter seat leathers, the Continental GT’s interior becomes a place of intent and focus. The use of dark woods also acts as a helpful contrast to the beautiful, jewellery-like switchgear and brighter trim that is introduced with the Mulliner Driving Specification.
Robin Page, head of interior design, Bentley Motors
The hides used to line the cabin headlining have also been given a distinctive addition in the form of embossed indentation. This look, much like the back of the iconic leather driving glove, is another subtle reference to the car’s potential. Simple devices though they are, both the fluting and hide indentation have specific purposes, as Robin Page explains:
Robin Page, head of interior design, Bentley Motors
The new two-piece sports wheels also wear a brand new tyre created exclusively for the larger rim. Designed on behalf of Bentley by Yokohama, the Advan Sport 275/35 R20 tyre provides significant benefits for drivers looking for even sportier handling and improved steering feel and response.
The culmination of an intensive development programme carried out by both Bentley and Yokohama engineers, the new tyre has a lower sidewall that provides sharper turn-in feel and precision. The Advan Sport manages to deliver increased performance without noticeable reduction in overall ride quality, meaning drivers will continue to enjoy the unparalleled luxury of a Continental GT and now benefit from its increased sporting characteristics.
New specification and options for all Continental GT customersAs well as the new Mulliner Driving Specification, Bentley is announcing changes to the 2005 Model Year Continental GT. The car’s standard specification is being enhanced, and a new range of factory and Bentley Mulliner options is available for purchase individually.
The standard specification Bentley Continental GT will now come with telephone voice activation system that can operate in six languages, allowing the driver to operate the in-car telephone using steering-wheel mounted controls and voice dialling. In addition to voice activation, customers also have the option to delete the privacy telephone handset currently mounted in the front passenger armrest, thereby freeing up additional storage space.
New interior trim options are also added to the standard specification. For the first time the Continental GT is available with an additional main hide colour – Magnolia. The car’s carpets can also be specified to match either the main or secondary hide. Lastly, the seatbelt colour can also be matched to either the main or secondary hide colours, regardless of the carpet colour chosen.
New factory-fitted options that are available for purchase individually include a two-tone, hide trimmed multi-function steering wheel which is recommended for cars with contrasting main and secondary hide colours.
The new range of individual Bentley Mulliner options for the Continental GT brings the unparalleled craftsmanship of the Mulliner coachbuilding division to every customer. This year marks the 80<sup>th</sup> anniversary of HJ Mulliner’s first commission for Bentley Motors and since then the Mulliner name has established itself as the world’s leading creator of coachbuilt cars.
Now Mulliner options can be specified individually for the 2005 model year Continental GT, meaning customers can create individual statements with every car ordered. The new range consists of a beautiful Mulliner alloy fuel cap with a Bentley ‘B’ badge and knurled finish for improved grip, that mirrors the interior switchgear design cues.
To provide added visual appeal to the seats and door panels, exquisite contrast and cross-stitching is being introduced. For single-tone interiors a list of approved thread colours is available. For two-tone interiors, thread for the main hide is matched to the secondary hide and vice versa.
To complement the new dark veneers and alloy trim of the Mulliner Driving Specification, aluminium facia panels can be ordered to replace the veneer on the instrument panel and centre console. Bentley Mulliner has designed these beautifully crafted panels to be combined with dark veneers and a single tone interior throughout the rest of the cabin, allowing the aluminium to make a full visual impact.
Two premium wood veneers – Vavona and Olive Ash – can be specified through the optional Mulliner range, as well as the choice of lambswool rugs or deep-pile carpet mats with hide trimming to provide added comfort and protection to the footwells.
The Continental GT success story continues The announcement of the new Mulliner Driving Specification and 2005 model year changes for the Bentley Continental GT is just the latest chapter in the car’s brief but remarkable history. Sales of the four-wheel-drive coupé have exceeded the company’s wildest expectations and have driven Bentley to new sales records across the globe.
With demand showing no sign of diminishing, this incredible transformation in Bentley’s sales performance reflects the extraordinary public response to the Continental GT.
"We are very proud of this success story and the way that the Continental GT is flying the flag for Bentley and the British motor industry around the world. That’s why we are so pleased to be able to introduce the new 2005 model year Continental GT and the beautiful Mulliner Driving Specification, demonstrating clearly how well we respond to customer demand."
Mark Tennant, marketing director, Bentley Motors
- UK £112,750 (including VAT)
- Euro zone €141,555 (excl sales tax)
- USA $155,990 (excl sales tax)
- Japan ¥19,900,000 (excl sales tax)
The Bentley Continental GT is the world’s fastest four seat coupé, the first all new and unique Bentley design for 70 years and its most significant new model since the very first Bentley, the 1919, 3-litre.
Key points:
* An all new car, designed, engineered and built by Bentley in Crewe
* Top speed 198mph (318kmh), 0-60mph in 4.7sec (0-100km/h 4.8sec)
* A Grand Tourer in the finest traditions, capable of seating four in comfort
* Unique twin-turbo 6-litre W12 engine producing 552bhp (560PS) and 479lb ft of torque (650Nm) at just 1600rpm
* Four wheel drive with paddle-operated six speed automatic transmission
* State of the art engineering and production techniques
* Car designed entirely in the virtual world
* Car designed not only be thrilling to drive but also supremely easy to live with, equally effectively as a recreational toy or serious business tool
Design: legendary R-Type reminiscence
The looks of the Continental GT were signed off in December 1999 with a design philosophy dictating its short front overhang and dominant bonnet. It had a pillarless cabin and pronounced rear haunches giving the impression of a crouching animal.
Inside, there are top quality hides, fine wood veneers and a unique driving environment and ideal driving position is easily achieved.
Those used to sitting in the back of most high-performance coupés will scarcely believe the thought that has gone into creating the rear cabin with the rear seat design receiving the same care and attention as those in the front. Back seat passengers sit well apart with scalloped recesses for their elbows, allowing adults ample personal space.
The toughest task facing today’s luxury designers is to present a car in a way that is both uncluttered yet easy to use. Bentley’s solution is to use common sense and ergonomic know-how to create a driving environment that is both effective and attractive. Most routine operations can be operated direct from the steering wheel while other functions such as the air-conditioning, navigation, and computer information are individually controlled, but displayed on the same central screen.
All around the cabin, unmistakeable Bentley touches abound. Perhaps most easily spotted are the classic "bulls-eye" ventilation outlets with their organ stop controls. Then there are the aluminium pedals, chrome instrument surrounds, knurled finishes to many of the ancillary controls, and the centrally mounted analogue Breitling clock.
Naturally wood and leather remain an essential a part of this Bentley as any other. And while craftsmanship remains as important as ever, these skills have been supplemented by 21<sup>st</sup> century technology allowing, for instance, wood to be dramatically curved. And while the leather is still applied with the same loving care as before, it is cut using a new digitised process that ensures minimal levels of wastage and maximum efficiency.
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.
One key to maximising interior space is raising the 'H' point above where it would be in a conventional supercar. It means Bentley’s commanding driving position is retained and the driver’s hip to heel angle is as close to anatomical perfection as is possible. Finally a high and upright driving position liberates vital room in the back. The result is a true two plus two, capable of carrying two adults and children in comfort for unlimited distances.
Another 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, the unbroken expanse of glass 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, providing enough boot space to swallow luggage for a family fortnight away.
PowertrainThe design brief for the Continental GT called for one of the fastest cars on earth yet one whose performance would remain inimitably Bentley. That meant not just great power but also 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. By choosing the basic architecture of the W12 powerplant used elsewhere in the VW Group - the most compact 12-cylinder engine in the world - Bentley’s engineers found a solution to both issues.
Once the decision to use the W12 had been made, twin turbos were selected as the preferred means of raising power and torque, The result was a car with 552bhp (560PS/411kW) at 6250rpm and 650Nm (479lb ft) at just 1600rpm, a speed at which most engines are little more than idling.
4WD: power directed to all four cornersThe use of four 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. 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 four-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 worldThe Continental GT is fitted with a six-speed automatic transmission built for Bentley by ZF with the ability to lock its torque converter in normal driving, providing the same immediacy of response expected of manual transmissions.
Tiptronic actuation means that the car can be used either as a conventional automatic or 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.
Chassis: a car for drivers and passengers alikePerfecting ride and handling is one of the most difficult areas of car design. For the Continental GT this job has been doubly tough, for few cars carry a greater expectation of excellence in both areas. Even so the Continental GT has a chassis that will appeal to sybarites and thrill-seekers equally. It has firm rather than harsh suspension, impressive resistance to roll yet compliant enough to ride poorly surfaced roads with equanimity.
The basis of the Continental GT’s chassis strategy is an extremely stiff body. To this is added an innovative double wishbone front suspension and a multi-link rear axle. Air springs are used, each one containing its own infinitely adjustable electronic damper.
Electronic stability systems: Unintrusive and at the discretion of the driverNaturally both traction control and the latest Bosch Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) are fitted. These are capable of monitoring a whole range of dynamic attitudes such as lateral acceleration, individual wheel speeds, throttle position and brake pressure and can cut the power or apply each brake individually to help ensure control is retained.
Brakes: ensuring the Continental GT stops as well as it goesBraking is provided by vast ventilated disc brakes at each corner featuring the latest Bosch anti-lock system with Brake Assist and Emergency Brake Force Distribution. At 400mm, the front discs are the largest currently available on any production car.
Safety: prevention is even better than cureNaturally the Continental GT has a full suite of passive safety equipment. As well as possessing exceptional front, side and rear deformation characteristics, 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. Four wheel drive has colossal safety advantages, while the latest traction and stability systems offer further defence.
Positioning: a unique opportunity to bring Bentley to a wider audienceDespite the deep seated emotional desire at Bentley to create a mid-sized coupe, the Continental GT still would not have been possible without a concrete business case behind it. It hinges on a clear gap in the upper luxury coupé market between the impracticalities of a conventional supercar and less than thrilling luxury coupes.
More than 75% of depositors are new to Bentley, and the profile of these early customers is as anticipated, and differs from the traditional Bentley buyer. Although still very wealthy entrepreneurs, they are at an earlier life stage, with differing priorities and car use patterns.
A new vision to go forward to the roots of Bentley
In all physical senses, the changes the Continental GT has brought to Bentley have transformed the company. But in a less tangible way Bentley is actually returning to its heartland values, as defined by WO Bentley. The strength of any brand in this sector is the thought that created it, and now it resonates through the walls of the factory.
WO’s idea was to combine cutting edge design with outrageous performance and superlative craftsmanship. And while it would offer unquestioned luxury, so also it would possess a thinly veiled ability to turn into something very special at any moment.
A true Bentley is a car that goes beyond satisfying the needs of its customers: it should exceed all expectation and do so routinely. 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 has been conceived to provide and the result is a car of which WO Bentley would be justifiably proud.
Bentley Continental GT Specifications
| Model Type | ||
| Body Type | 2-door pillarless coupe | |
| Material | Steel - Monocoque | |
| Engine | ||
| Type | Twin Turbo 6-litre W12 | |
| Bore & Stroke | 84/90.2mm | |
| Displacement | 5998 cm<sup>3</sup> | |
| Compression ratio | 9:1 | |
| Engine Control System | Bosch ME7 | |
| Valve gear | DOHC, 4 valves/cylinder | |
| Emission Controls | EU4 and LEV1 | |
| Power | 411/560/552@6100 (kW/PSI/bhp@min) | |
| Torque | 650/479 @1600 (Nm, lb ft at 1/min) | |
| Drivetrain | ||
| Transmission | ZF (6HP-26) fully automatic with "Tiptronic" feature | |
| Ratios | 1st 4.17:1, 2nd 2.34:1, 3rd 1.52:1, 4th 1.14:1, 5th 0.87:1, 6th 0.69:1 | |
| Final Drive ratio | 3.52 | |
| Dimensions & Capacities | ||
| Wheelbase | 2745mm (108.07in) | |
| Front Track | 1623mm (63.90in) | |
| Rear Track | 1607mm (63.27in) | |
| Overall length | 4807mm (189.25in) | |
| Width (across mirrors) | 2102mm (82.76in) | |
| Width (across body incl. door handles) | 1918mm (75.51in) | |
| Overall height | 1390mm (54.72in) | |
| Kerb weight | 2410kg (5320lb) | |
| Fuel tank capacity | 90 litres (158.4pt, 190.2 US pt) | |
| Oil capacity | 12.5 litres (22.0pt, 26.37 US pt) | |
| Coolant capacity | 19 litres (33.4pt, 40.0 US pt) | |
| Suspension | ||
| Springs | Progressive air springs | |
| Dampers | Continous Damping Control 4 settings, adjustable | |
| Ride Height Control | Lowers automatically at sustained high speeds. High manually selectable at lower speeds | |
| Steering | ||
| Type | Speed sensitive power assisted rack and pinion | |
| Turns, lock to lock | 2.7 | |
| Brakes | ||
| Front Diameter | 405mm (15.9in) vented discs | |
| Rear Diameter | 335mm (13.2in) vented discs | |
| Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) | Standard | |
| Wheels & Tyres | ||
| Wheel size | Standard: 9Jx19 | Mulliner Driving Specification: 9Jx20 |
| Wheel type | Alloy | Alloy |
| Tyre size/front/rear | 275.40 x 19 Pirelli or Michelin | 275/35 Yokohama R20 Advan Sport |
| Tyre Pressure Monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Fuel Consumption | ||
| (EU Cycle) | ||
| Urban | 26.2 (litres/100km) 10.8mpg | |
| Extra-urban | 11.9 (litres/100km) 23.7mpg | |
| Combined | 17.1 (litres/100km) 16.5mpg | |
| (EPA Cycle) | ||
| City driving | Not Currently Available | |
| Highway driving | Not Currently Available | |
| Performance | ||
| 0-60 mph | 4.7 seconds | |
| 0-100 mph | 11.25 seconds | |
| 30-50 mph | 1.83 seconds | |
| 50-70 mph | 2.5 seconds | |
| 0-100 km/h | 4.8 seconds | |
| 0-160 km/h | 11.15 seconds | |
| 50-80 km/h | 1.71 seconds | |
| 80-120 km/h | 3.16 seconds | |
| Maximum Speed | 198mph (318km/h) | |
| Interior Dimensions | ||
| Front legroom | 1075mm (42in) | |
| Rear legroom | 766mm (30in) | |
| Front headroom | 940mm (37in) | |
| Rear headroom | 930mm (37in) | |
| Front shoulder room | 1508mm (59in) | |
| Rear shoulder room | 1442mm (57in) | |
| Luggage Compartment Volume | 370 litres (0.315m³, 11.12ft³) | |
| Restraint Systems | ||
| SRS airbags | 2 full length curtain head airbags; 2 front seat thorax airbags; 2 frontal airbags : driver and front passenger | |
| Seatbelts | 4 off with pre tensioners and load limiting | |
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