Bentley Continental engine improvements

All you petrol heads will know what a fantastic engine the Bentley Continental GT models have - a 6-litre, twin turbocharged W12 engine, the most compact 12-cylinder engine in production. The 48-valve head employs four camshafts and continually variable valve-timing - oh yes.

But what you wont know is that a host of engine and transmission enhancements have been introduced on the 552bhp Continental GT to enhance both the refinement and efficiency of this high technology powertrain.

These include:

• New crankcase design to reduce internal losses.
• More efficient catalyst and exhaust system for improved emissions.
• Lighter weight single chain drive for camshaft.
• New engine management system and faster response cam sensor.
  

The engine continues to produce 552bhp at 6100 rev/min and a maximum torque of 650Nm. The twin, low-inertia turbochargers are a key factor in producing the flat torque curve, characteristic of every Bentley.

Both the Continental GT Speed and GT models now produce lower CO2 emissions of 396g/km, down from 410g/km, an improvement of 3.5 percent. Fuel consumption is improved by a similar amount to a staggering 11mpg!!!!.

The Continental GT remains outstandingly quick – its top speed is unchanged at 198mph (318km/h), with a 0-60mph sprint time of 4.6 seconds (0-100km/h in 4.8s) - faster than a Ferrari F430 and a Porsche 911 Carrera 4.