Besides of a car’s name or the fancy outfit itself, the engine could also serve as a good and distinctive identity for them. Take the straight six, we’ll straight go to Porsches. Mention a V8, most probably the lineup of Ferrari will appear. V10, I’d say the Gallardo. V12? To me, is reserved to two of my favorites, the Aston Martin (DB9 and DBS) and the Murcielago. And the W12 exclusivity icon is pretty much reserved for the Bentley Continental GT.
But for the last one, things are about to change.
Bentley had just announced the new 2013 Bentley Continental GT. All-in-all, it’s still pretty much a Bentley, and still a Continental GT. But surprisingly, instead of housing the signature W12 engine, this one has a smaller V8 in it!
Maybe this is like the same case as Jeremy Clarkson once stated in Top Gear, where emission regulations are now restricting the sizes of these huge engines, and smaller and turbocharged is the way to go today. Apparently, Bentley followed in and this new V8 is aimed to reduce the CO2 emissions by 40 percent! And with a smaller engine, it has also assisted a lot in shedding the overall weight, so I guess the new one won’t be doing like the one in this video at 6:27.
Bentley Continental Supersports review - Top Gear - BBC - YouTube
But having a smaller engine doesn’t mean that it’s going weaker inside. With two turbochargers spooling up alongside the 4.0l V8, the 2013 Continental GT has 500 horsepower to play with and will be doing a 0-100 in 4.6 seconds. Push it long enough and you’ll be reading around 300km/h at the speedo as the top speed. And with the AWD and a 2 + 2 configuration, the Continental still retains its position as one of the best GT cars out there.
So it looks like the green movement is now gaining momentum unlike previous years. And sooner or later, there will probably come a day when heavyweights like the Aventador, 599, or even the Veyron will be only something in the past. But it’s too soon to tell, so let’s just wait and see what the guys from the auto works have in store for us in the near future!
Images from:
2013 Bentley Continental GT V8
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