80,000 Bentley Continental GT cars built in just 18 years

Now into its third generation, the two-door Continental GT was launched in 2003 as a luxury Grand Tourer and has attracted an average of 5,000 sales per year. Over the 18 year production period the GT has gained 27% in peak power and reduced CO2 emissions by 48%

The 80,000th vehicle is Orange Flame finished with the optional Blackline Specification. To mark the production milestone, Bentley drew on its heritage fleet to show the evolution and achievements of the Continental GT since 2003.

• The very first production Continental GT, VIN 0001, still a taxed-and-tested car on Bentley’s fleet
• A Continental Supersports coupe, considered by many to be the pinnacle of the first generation GT family
• A second generation Continental GT V8 S coupe, finished in Jetstream
• From the current press fleet, a Dragon Red Continental GT Convertible
• The Continental GT has also supported Bentley’s long tradition of racing and record breaking that started in the 1920s when the Bentley Boys set the pace at European circuits. In 1922, John Duff drove his Bentley 3 Litre single handed for 24 hours, at an average speed of almost 87 mph at Brooklands to secure 39 Class D records. And in 1928, another 3 Litre driven by Dudley Froy became the first car to achieve more than 115 mph over a distance of 100 miles at the same venue.
• To mark recent achievements, the line-up was joined by some of the most exciting performance-focused Continental GTs:
• The first Ice Speed Record GT, driven by four-times World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen, which smashed the world ice speed record in 2007, reaching an average speed of 199.86 mph (321.65 km/h) on frozen sea off the coast of Finland.
• The first-generation Continental GT3 racecar, that returned Bentley to winning ways on the racetrack in 2014 and secured victories on tracks all around the world
• The 2019 Pikes Peak GT, which still holds the Production Class record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Driven by three-time champion Rhys Millen, the car took 8.4 seconds off the previous record along the 12.42-mile course, climbing 5,000 ft through 156 bends in just 10 minutes, 18.4 seconds.
• The 2020 Ice Race GT, which took part in the GP Ice Race at Zell Am See in February last year on the same weekend that the final member of the line-up – the latest-generation Continental GT3 – won the Bathurst 12 Hour in Australia.
• After 18 years and three generations, the Continental GT is still the quintessential grand tourer – phenomenally powerful, beautifully designed and exquisitely crafted.