Bentley Speed Six Continuation and Continental GTC to debut at Retromobile classic event

Bentley Motors will showcase the Bentley Speed Six Continuation Series following the successful completion of twelve Bentley 4½ Litre Supercharged ‘Blower’ Continuation models, the world’s first pre-war continuation series. The of each car will take a total of ten months from start to finish.

The Continuation Series Speed Six takes two original Speed Sixes as its template: the company’s own Speed Six, GU409, and ‘Old Number 3’, a works Speed Six driven in the 1930 Le Mans 24 Hour race by Sammy Davis and Clive Dunfee. The latter was generously loaned by its owner and gave the Mulliner team invaluable data on dimensions, materials, and components.

The Speed Six was introduced in 1928 as a more sporting version of the Bentley 6½ Litre. The engine was modified to liberate more power, with twin SU carburettors, a higher compression ratio and a high-performance camshaft. A contemporary road test in The Morning Post concluded, “I consider this car to be one of the most remarkable engineering achievements of the century, the balance of speed, silence and flexibility having been maintained in a unique manner.”

182 Speed Six models were built between 1928 and 1930. Two wins at the Le Mans 24 Hour race, in 1929 and 1930, cemented the Speed Six’s pre-eminent place in Bentley racing history.

Bentley Motors is also proud to reveal the fourth generation Continental GTC Speed in Jetstream, following in the 21-year tradition of the Continental GT family by redefining the ultimate blend of supercar performance, handcrafted luxury and everyday usability.

For the new Continental GTC Speed, a brand-new Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain has been developed. The new powertrain combines a new 4.0 litre V8 engine capable of producing 600 PS (584 bhp) with a 190 PS (187 bhp) electric motor. Performance of the Continental GTC Speed is breath-taking for an open-air Grand Tourer.

The Convertible features Bentley’s seven-bow fabric roof system, available in a range of seven exterior colours (including tweed) and deployable in 19 seconds at speeds up to 48 km/h. With a completely new 400-volt electrical architecture enables the most advanced suite of powertrain technology to be offered by a luxury automotive brand today, delivering emissions of 29 g/km of CO2 and an electric range of 80 km on the WLTP drive cycle.