Release of One-Off Bentley Continental GT Speed Celebrates 20 Years

The 20th birthday celebrations of the Bentley Continental GT were brought to a close this week with the reveal and immediate sale of a one-off Continental GT Speed. Inspired by the very first production Continental GT from 2003 (VIN20001), the car was displayed as part of Monterey Car Week.

The release of the Continental GT was a huge success for Bentley resulting in ten times the number of sales, redefining the British brand as a modern luxury brand and creating a new genre in the market. To this day, the Continental GT is considered by many to be the benchmark when it comes to modern, luxury grand tourers. It was designed at the Crewe studio under then Design Director Dirk van Braeckel and Head of Exterior Design Raul Pires and was inspired by the 1952 R Type Continental. Twin Round headlamps and a Bentley mesh grille gave a subtle nod to the Le Mans winning Bentley’s of the 1920s.

The first generation was powered by an all-new 6.0-litre twin-turbo 48-valve W12 engine. Acceleration from 0-62 mph took 4.8 seconds and top speed was just under 200 mph. For the subsequent seven years, production spawned a family of models including the Continental GT Convertible, Continental Flying Spur, Continental GT Speed and Supersports.

The second generation debuted in 2010 at the Paris Motor Show and went on sale in 2011. It initially launched with the W12 engine, but the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 joined the range in 2012. The model also had a limited edition 710PS Supersports that was released in 2017.

Bentley’s third-generation Continental GT was launched in 2018 with a completely new design and a host of new features. Even its W12 engine was all-new, paired with a new dual-clutch transmission and was simultaneously faster, more comfortable, more efficient and more luxurious than its predecessors.

The bespoke 2023 Continental GT Speed displays a specially commissioned interior inspired by the Saddle leather upholstery and Burr Walnut veneer seen in the first production car. Additional features include a suite of technical enhancements and a carbon fibre front splitter, side skirts, diffuser and subtle boot spoiler. Having already been sold, the car was handed to its new owner and brought an end to four months of activities and events celebrating the historic milestone.

Read more about the history of the Bentley Continental GT in John Marcar’s feature article.

Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: Bentley