Refreshed 2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed

2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed

 It’s been only a year since Bentley introduced a mild visual update for the bonkers GT Speed and massaged its W-12 powerplant for an additional 10 ponies, and the Brits have issued yet another upgrade for its fastest production grand tourer ever. Set to bow at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show in March as a 2016 model, the revised GT Speed is part of an overhaul of the entire GT lineup, as well as the four-door Flying Spur. The GT Speed essentially borrows the visual enhancements that now adorn the standard GT, while receiving unique details that make it stand out as the most quick and powerful member of the GT family.

2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed

The mild upgrade brings a few nips and tucks in the cabin as well, likely to keep it fresh until the third-generation model arrives sometime in 2018. Granted, Bentley’s decision to update the Continental GT Speed two years in a row might seem strange, but the new add-ons are the result of the standard Continental’s mid-cycle facelift. 

2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed

While last year’s update brought body-colored aerodynamic enhancements and a darker finish for the headlamp, taillights and 21-inch wheels, the 2016 facelift brings a redesigned front bumper and a slightly revised grille. The grille does little to change the coupe’s appearance, but the new apron adds a touch of aggressiveness, thanks to its redesigned intake layout. The massive center vent now extends toward the fenders, while the side intakes have been enlarged and raised closer to the headlamps.

2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed

The front fenders gained a new B-shaped vent where the "Speed" emblem was fitted on the previous model, and the emblem was relocated between the front wheel and the door, right above the side sills. What I like about this new side vent is that it blends in with the character line that runs from the front bumper toward the rear haunches. It’s details like these that can make a grand tourer stand out from a design standpoint.


While the venerable 6.0-liter W-12 powerplant received a 15-horsepower and 15-pound-feet increase in the standard Continental GT, it remained unchanged in the GT Speed. The lack of upgrades to the drivetrain makes sense though, as the range-topping model gained an extra 10 ponies and 17 pound-feet of twist in 2014. That said, the GT Speed carries on with 626 horsepower and 607 pound-feet of torque, which is nothing to sneeze at. Routed to the wheels through a ZF eight-speed automatic, the oomph is enough to propel the heavy coupe from naught to 60 mph in only four seconds, and from 0 to 100 in nine, while Top Speed is a mind-boggling 206 mph.

Although Bentley says the updated W-12 in the standard Continental GT has an improvement to fuel economy of up to 5 percent, due to a new cylinder-deactivation feature, it’s unclear whether this applies to the GT Speed’s powerplant or not. Should the 626-horsepower version benefit from that new feature, expect the GT Speed to return up to 21 mpg of the highway instead of the previous model’s 20-mpg figure.