An all-new Bentley Continental GT arrives for the 2025 model year with the Speed trim that has historically arrived later in the model’s life cycle. Pricing will be announced closer to launch
This latest model does so by pairing its twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 with a plug-in hybrid system to produce a jarring 771 horsepower and 738 pounds-feet of torque.
The 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed’s powertrain may sound familiar from other recent Volkswagen Group high-performance PHEVs, but it tops even the absurd Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid by 42 hp and 38 pounds-feet of torque. Here, the twin-turbo V-8 supplies 591 hp and 590 pounds-feet, which the electric motor supplements with 187 hp and 332 pounds-feet.
Behind the V-8 sits an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Power flows to all four wheels through a torque-vectoring center differential, and the brakes mimic torque-vectoring differentials front and rear. A 25.9-kilowatt-hour battery pack mounts behind the rear axle, helping this massive coupe achieve a promising 49% front/51% rear weight distribution that should greatly enhance its agility.
Bentley claims the new Continental GT Speed can accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 3.1 seconds, which is almost certainly a conservative guess. The predicted 50 miles of electric range, on the other hand, is measured on the optimistic European test cycle; the EPA-rated figure will likely be lower.
A different disclaimer applies to Bentley’s claim to the unofficial underwater speed record. Not even the Continental GT Speed’s expected base price somewhere around $250,000 will get you a James Bond–style submersible car (that was a Lotus); what this unofficial record really represents is a record for speed in a tunnel. Bentley claims the whimsical underwater title because the tunnel in which the Continental GT Speed hit its top speed happens to traverse one of Norway’s many fjords; at 8.9 miles long and 958 feet below the surface at its deepest point, the Ryfylke Tunnel is the longest and deepest underwater tunnel in the world. Bentley notes that the Continental GT Speed accelerated from rest to 208 mph in 33 seconds.
The 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed will likely manage feats of terrestrial chassis control that are plenty impressive for a vehicle this size.
Standard dual-chamber air springs support the body, their compression and rebound damped by dual-valve shock absorbers. Bentley’s Dynamic Ride draws on the vehicle’s 48-volt electrical system to manipulate the anti-roll bar, actively leaning the vehicle into turns. Rear-wheel steering is standard, as are manhole-size brakes measuring 16.5 inches up front and 15 inches in the rear. The optional carbon brakes are even more mammoth, with 17.3-inch front rotors and 16.1-inch rears. Both systems use 10-piston front calipers and four-piston rears.
The new 2025 Continental GT Speed may look like its predecessor, but Bentley says 68% of its components are new. The brand says its designers were inspired by “a tiger at rest — calm and collected, but ready to unleash incredible force.” (We’d say 771 hp qualifies as “incredible force.”) The new car’s proportions are familiar from Continental GTs of the last two decades, with a long, gently sloping hood and pronounced rear haunches; sharp creases in the sheet metal and the more pronounced, upswept styling of the rear fascia grant it a more aerodynamic look. The directional bend of the spokes in the 22-inch wheels is meant to evoke claws digging into the road; they’re available in silver, dark and gloss-black finishes.
Bentley also wants observers to take note of the new GT’s single headlights — a first, it says, since the 1959 S2. The crystalline-look headlights comprise 120 separate LEDs, with responsibility for low and high beams divided among them.
The 2025 Continental GT Speed is just as luxurious as ever, with standard 20-way adjustable seats and newly available Postural Adjust and Auto Climate to shift occupants’ weight around and maintain comfort on long trips. The new Dark Chrome Specification darkens the interior trim for a more contemporary feel, and Bentley’s Mulliner division will once again offer a nearly endless menu of customization options. In addition to the standard 10-speaker 650-watt sound system, a 16-speaker 1,500-watt Bang & Olufsen setup is available — but check out the 2,200-watt Naim audio system, which features 18 speakers and bass transducers in the front seats so occupants can directly feel the music.
