First pics: Bentley's new Continental GT

Bentley has revealed the first images of its new Continental GT coupe, which has emerged as a comprehensive makeover of the existing model, rather than being the 'all-new' entity that some may have expected.

Make no mistake, though, it's a crucial car for the winged marque as the current Conti GT was largely responsible for sparking Bentley's profound rejuvenation following its 2003 launch.

The newcomer (due to make its debut at the upcoming Paris motor show) is said to bring a host of key improvements, even though its design language doesn't deviate too far from the shape penned by Bentley crayon wielder Raul Pires for the outgoing model.

The new Conti's length, width and height remain unchanged vis-à-vis its predecessor, but the wheelarches have been subtly widened to house broader tracks (increased by 41mm front and 48mm rear).

Overall, the car looks cleaner, crisper and sharper-edged than its forerunner, and the heavily bejeweled LED-intensive headlights help create a link with the recently launched Mulsanne Flagship.

As per the Mulsanne, the new Conti's aluminium bodywork has been shaped by 'super forming', which is said to make for more precise manufacture of large panels. The joint between the bumper and the guards has also been eliminated, enhancing the car's clean look.

The car's widened derriere is distinguished by a heavily lipped bootlid, bumper diffuser and new taillights, which nevertheless retain the trademark twin ellipses when illuminated.

Propulsion comes from an updated twin-turbo 6.0-litre W12 that sports a tweaked ECU, as well as various measures that lower internal friction. Power rises from 412kW to 423kW, while torque is bumped up from 650Nm to 700Nm.

Drive is once again relayed to all four wheels via a ZF six-speed automatic with paddle-shifts, but a new 'quickshift' function is claimed to halve shift times to 200 milliseconds. There's also a new multiple downshift function that, for example, enables the transmission to drop straight from fourth to second.

Performance levels, as expected, are impressive and Bentley quotes a top whack of 319km/h and 0-60mph (0-96km/h) split of 4.4sec.

Bentley has also used lessons learned from the high-po Supersports to slot in a new torsen centre differential that splits torque 40/60 front to rear, allegedly boosting balance and agility when driven aggressively.

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