SPY SHOTS: 2012 Bentley Continental GT blings around the Alps

Bentley's highly successful Continental GT coupe can be considered
almost solely responsible for turning the once-ailing British super-
luxury brand around. Even though there have been many variants
of the Continental, such as the Flying Spur sedan and GTC
convertible, along with some coachbuilt sportwagens and shooting
brakes, there can be no doubt that the original Continental GT
coupe is what really propelled Bentley to where it is today - sales
numbers went from near 1,000 in 2003 to over 10,000 in 2007 - but
the oldest Bentley brother still left in the lineup has been on the
market for six years, and is in need of a new model to replace it.


So it should come as no surprise that Bentley is testing their
SECOND-GENERATION Continental GT, as spy photographers have
captured tooling around in the Austrian Alps. As you can tell from
the pictures, the designers have decided to take the Porsche 911
approach to updating the body style of their most popular car,
meaning, evolution over revolution. Changes are very subtle -
reshaped taillights are the most obvious cue here, having been
changed to match the look of the new Mulsanne, and even those are
merely evolutionary. The reasoning makes sense, though - why
change what works? The Continental GT is still beautiful, a classic in
the making, one of the most timeless automotive designs of our
generation.

The main changes are in the hardware. This particular area of road is, predictably (due to its mountainous terrain), used to check the brakes. Expected changes in the engineering include a 440 lb weight loss (that's BIG weight loss), which is much needed, as despite not being a huge car, this beast is porky, weighing in at over 5,000 pounds right now.

Aerodynamics will be a target too, as the designers have reportedly decreased the drag coefficient from 0.35 to 0.30.

Even fuel economy is a target, as are lower emissions (out of a twin turbo W12 engine, but I digress...)

Also expect are an upsized 6.3 liter W12, obviously with twin-turbos still fanning the flames, with an 8-speed automatic transmission and the mandatory all-wheel drive throwing down all of the power to the ground. A 4.2 liter turbodiesel V8 with 375 horsepower and 590 lb-feet of torque and a, oddly enough, plug-in hybrid version have been ideas that have been thrown about, as well.

Expect the new Continental GT late in 2010 or early in 2011, the Continental Flying Spur's second generation late in 2012 and the next Continental GTC late in 2013. As well, expect some blingtastic options such as champagne classes and a refrigerator big enough to fit a bottle of Dom, at least in the Flying Spur - don't expect that in the far-shorter GT and GTC.

(source: http://www.gmotors.ie and http://www.carmagazine.co.uk)