The Bentley Continental GT debuted in 2002 at the Paris Motor Show, followed by Le Mans, the 2003 Goodwood Festival of Speed and the 2003 annual Bentley Drivers Club meeting at Silverstone.
The car differed from the previous Continental R & T models in terms of its concept: although much of the car is hand assembled, it is a mass-produced car made in significantly larger numbers.
It is not a coach-built car. The price at launch was less than half the price of the Continental R, giving the car a wider customer base.
The Continental GT is equipped with a 6 litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine, which produces a DIN-rated power output of 560 PS (412 kW; 552 bhp) at 6,100 rpm, and torque of 650 N⋅m (479 lbf⋅ft) at 1,600–6,100 rpm.
A Torsen-based permanent four-wheel drive is standard. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0.0 to 62.1 mph) in 4.8 seconds, and go on to reach a top speed of 318 km/h (197 mph).
