Bentley's brand continues to grow on the mainland. The marque says it sold more than 1,000 cars across the border and a record 396 in the first four months of this year, a 66 per cent improvement on the previous, best year. 'Around one in four Bentleys sold globally is now sold in China,' the marque says, citing its first worldwide dealer conference in Beijing last month.
The marque's mainland customers value Bentley's history 'and our emphasis on the finest luxury, craftsmanship and automotive excellence', says Alasdair Stewart, the marque's head of sales and marketing. 'Although China has traditionally been a market for four-door cars, such as the Mulsanne and the Continental Flying Spur, there is growing interest in the sheer fun of driving a high performance sports car.' Indeed, 'half' of the 50 Bentleys sold at April's Shanghai Auto Show were new Continental GTs, Stewart says.
Hong Kong's rich drove Bentleys before many of their mainland counterparts drove tractors, and a few will appreciate the Continental's rich heritage, from the magnificent, aerodynamic Mulliner R-Type Continentals of 1952-55, to the 4.9-litre six-cylinder S-Type of 1955, and the subsequent S2 V8.
The Continental name returned in 1984 with the Mulliner Park Ward, Bentley's version of the Rolls-Royce Corniche Convertible and the 1991 Continental R, a unique-to-Bentley two-door coupe powered by the Turbo R 6.75-litre V8.
There were subsequent S, Azure, T, and SC versions in the 1990s, but the Continental has never looked back since its relaunch as a fast, modern, substantial tourer in Paris in 2002.
The latest GT version will be unveiled at The Repulse Bay on July 7. It is 65kg lighter than its predecessor, crisper, more defined and with 'new levels of cabin design, comfort and hand-crafted luxury', Bentley says. The HK$3.68 million car's seats have more support and legroom, and its new touchscreen infotainment system features state-of-the-art navigation, Google maps and entertainment. The six-litre, 12-cylinder, twin-turbocharged powertrain now produces 567bhp and 700Nm of torque via a new quickshift transmission 'which enables double downshifts', Bentley says. Capable of a top speed of 318km/h and 100km/h in 10.2 seconds, the 2,320kg grand tourer can also run on standard unleaded petrol and sustainable bioethanol up to E85, or any mix of the two.