Bentley Continental GT V8 Detroit debut and UK pricing

Bentley Continental GT V8 - UK prices

Today sees the public debut of the Bentley Continental GT V8 ( and GTC V8) at Detroit, and the reveal of UK prices - £123,850 for the GT V8 & £136,250 for the GTC V8.

We got the reveal of the new Bentley Continental GT V8 – and the Continental GTC V8 – last month, ahead of its public unveiling at the Detroit Motor Show today. We also got the leak of some German prices for the Continental GT V8 just after Christmas, which we reckoned meant the UK GT V8 would start around £115k. But it seems not.

Bentley has revealed that the Continental GT V8 will start at £123,850 and the Continental GTC V8 at £136,250 when they hit showrooms in the UK later this year. That’s £12k less than the W12 for the GT and £13k for the GTC, although by the time you start playing with the options list you’ll probably walk out having spent far more.

Bentley sales are already very strong – with almost record sales in 2011 – and the new V8 in the Continental GT and GTC should add considerably to that tally. The fact that the new V8 GT gets 500bhp and performance not far short of the W12 GT – and an improvement of 40 per cent in economy – can only auger well for sales.

Bentley boss, Wolfgang Dürheimer, said of the GT V8:

With the new 4.0 litre V8 engine we are widening the appeal of the latest generation of Continentals, introducing a completely new driving experience. The new engine will have all the exhilarating power, drama and performance you would expect from a V8 engine sporting the famous Bentley wings, effortlessly delivered with our characteristic ‘wave of torque’. This is complemented by innovative powertrain technology that delivers exceptional fuel efficiency and emissions.

Onward and upward for Bentley.

(9 photos – click any thumbnail for full gallery)

By Cars UK