The car that put Bentley back on the map turns 20 this year. Before the Continental GT arrived, the British luxury brand was selling barely 1,000 cars each year and was a largely forgotten carmaker living firmly in the shadow of its then-owner, Rolls Royce. But that all changed in 2003, and to mark the anniversary of the modern Continental’s introduction, Bentley unveiled a one-off Mulliner-fettled GT S at the Shanghai Auto Show.
Decked out in a moody Magnetic dark grey metallic with black chrome trim and rolling on a set of black 22-inch 10-spoke wheels, the special GT is saved from looking too tasteful by red detailing on the mirror caps, brake calipers and also on the subtle body kit.
There’s more red on the inside, which features a red pinstripe running across the doors and through the Granite Stone dashboard, red leather sections on the door cards, lower dashboard trim and seats, and red stitching on the seat backs and steering wheel. The result looks like some Mulliner boys have been working on a Civic Type R in their spare time.
But what makes the interior special are the silhouettes of the first and current generation Continental GT coupes that appear on the glovebox and on the console, each graphic appearing above text reading ‘20 Years Of The Continental.’ There’s another anniversary reference on each door sill and the LED welcome lamp in the door also has a unique design for this car.
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Being a Continental GT S, this car doesn’t get Bentley’s 650 hp (659 PS) 6.0-liter W12, which the company says is also celebrating its 20th birthday this year. Instead, the S is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 generating 542 hp (550 PS). Zero to 60 mph (97 km/h) takes 3.9 seconds, or 0.3 seconds off the W12’s time but the payback is less weight over the nose for more agile handling.
The reveal in Shanghai is just the first in a series of anniversary events Bentley has planned for the Continental. Drive hubs in Bentley’s Crewe HQ in England and in Geneva, Switzerland will give drivers the opportunity to try all three generations of Continental GT, there’s a relay drive event that will transport a Bentley Baton across multiple continents, and at Goodwood this year Bentley is putting on a display to commemorate the W12 ahead of its demise in 2024.
