Continental GT [Official] Bentley Continental GT (Third generation, 2018-

[sako97]

Actually, this has been my favorite car on the IAA.
The details (A/C switches, vents, carpets ...), fit & finish, the colors etc. are great leaps forward as compared to the predecessor. I actually moved back and forth between this and the S Coupe to directly compare them ... at least with regard to the above-mentioned aspects, the Continental plays in a different league.

Redemption for the last generation, which was in production 3-4 years too long, imo.

 

[SDNR]

I've been reading some irritating comments posted on YouTube videos about this car.

Why do people continually refer to this as a "German" Bentley. Sure , we know the parent company is VW and there is obviously a lot of German tech (MSB Platform) - but the Conti's engine (unlike Rolls-Royce) is built at the Crewe factory - and, in fact, the Mulsanne's engine is entirely unique to the Mulsanne.

Nobody ever calls Lamborghini or Bugatti German.
Nobody called Lamborghini American when Chrysler briefly owned it.
Nobody calls Volvo Chinese.
Nobody called Range-Rover, Jaguar, Aston Martin, or Volvo, American when they were owned by Ford. Yet people now call Range-Rover and Jaguar Indian!
Renault owns 43.4% of Nissan ....does anybody consider Nissan to be in any way French?
Does anyone consider Opel, Vauxhall, or Holden to be American? (GM)
Does anybody consider Jeep to be Italian? (Fiat)

So why is this? Why do British cars, which are designed, engineered, and built in England mockingly get called German?

 

[Deleted member 1071]

I've been reading some irritating comments posted on YouTube videos about this car.

Why do people continually refer to this as a "German" Bentley. Sure , we know the parent company is VW and there is obviously a lot of German tech (MSB Platform) - but the Conti's engine (unlike Rolls-Royce) is built at the Crewe factory - and, in fact, the Mulsanne's engine is entirely unique to the Mulsanne.

Nobody ever calls Lamborghini or Bugatti German.
Nobody called Lamborghini American when Chrysler briefly owned it.
Nobody calls Volvo Chinese.
Nobody called Range-Rover, Jaguar, Aston Martin, or Volvo, American when they were owned by Ford. Yet people now call Range-Rover and Jaguar Indian!
Renault owns 43.4% of Nissan ....does anybody consider Nissan to be in any way French?
Does anyone consider Opel, Vauxhall, or Holden to be American? (GM)
Does anybody consider Jeep to be Italian? (Fiat)

So why is this? Why do British cars, which are designed, engineered, and built in England mockingly get called German?

The presence of Wolfgang Dürheimer and Rolf Frech may have something to do wih it.

 

[sako97]

The presence of Wolfgang Dürheimer and Rolf Frech may have something to do wih it.

Bentley's new President & CEO since April is of Italian descent, Mark Del Rosso.
Link: MARK DEL ROSSO APPOINTED PRESIDENT & CEO OF BENTLEY MOTORS, INC.

For a few years, Dürheimer was the CEO of both Bentley and Bugatti SAS (Sergio Marchionne style ).

 

[SDNR]

The presence of Wolfgang Dürheimer and Rolf Frech may have something to do wih it.

That is true. I don't think anybody has a problem with Germans running things - and we all love German cars.

Range-Rover, Mini, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce and Bentley have all exploited the image of "Britishness" in certain markets - even though a clear definition of "Britishness" is fairly elusive. It's similar to the way the French market luxury products around the world. Paris has become an adjective.

The origins of a product are more important to customers in some markets than in others. Most people wouldn't care if a Mercedes C Class is not built in Germany but many S Class buyers place importance on their vehicle being assembled at Sindelfingen*. "Made In Germany" is perceived as a mark of high quality and prestige.

*The S Class is also assembled in Malaysia, India, Indonesia, and Thailand.

 

[KiwiRob]

Nobody calls Volvo Chinese.

You need to follow a few more forums, calling Volvo Chinese is very common, especially in the US.

Does anyone consider Opel, Vauxhall, or Holden to be American? (GM)

You might have missed the news Opel and Vauxhall are now French.

 

[SDNR]

You need to follow a few more forums, calling Volvo Chinese is very common, especially in the US.

Well I have not seen that. It is silly, the new Volvos are unmistakably Scandinavian in character.

 

[Busty]

And, of course, I did not mention that explicitely: the Toblerone alone is a masterpiece. Rumor has it that this single piece costs a 5-digit-amount in production. When seeing the three gauges rotating into position individually (I don't mean the rotation of the whole 'block'), I instantly believed those rumors.
Since I'm a limousine guy, I'm even more anxious now about the new Flying Spur (or however it'll be called).

 

[Deleted member 1071]

Actually, this has been my favorite car on the IAA.
The details (A/C switches, vents, carpets ...), fit & finish, the colors etc. are great leaps forward as compared to the predecessor. I actually moved back and forth between this and the S Coupe to directly compare them ... at least with regard to the above-mentioned aspects, the Continental plays in a different league.

It will be interesting to witness how the upcoming BMW 8 series cars (in top specification, V12 (?) and M8) compare to the new Conti GT/GTC.

 

[Deleted member 1071]

And, of course, I did not mention that explicitely: the Toblerone alone is a masterpiece. Rumor has it that this single piece costs a 5-digit-amount in production. When seeing the three gauges rotating into position individually (I don't mean the rotation of the whole 'block'), I instantly believed those rumors.
Since I'm a limousine guy, I'm even more anxious now about the new Flying Spur (or however it'll be called).

Visually as well as dynamically, I suspect that the new Flying Spur will represent a vast improvement over the current model.

 

[Centurion]

I've been reading some irritating comments posted on YouTube videos about this car.

Why do people continually refer to this as a "German" Bentley. Sure , we know the parent company is VW and there is obviously a lot of German tech (MSB Platform) - but the Conti's engine (unlike Rolls-Royce) is built at the Crewe factory - and, in fact, the Mulsanne's engine is entirely unique to the Mulsanne.

Nobody ever calls Lamborghini or Bugatti German.
Nobody called Lamborghini American when Chrysler briefly owned it.
Nobody calls Volvo Chinese.
Nobody called Range-Rover, Jaguar, Aston Martin, or Volvo, American when they were owned by Ford. Yet people now call Range-Rover and Jaguar Indian!
Renault owns 43.4% of Nissan ....does anybody consider Nissan to be in any way French?
Does anyone consider Opel, Vauxhall, or Holden to be American? (GM)
Does anybody consider Jeep to be Italian? (Fiat)

So why is this? Why do British cars, which are designed, engineered, and built in England mockingly get called German?

Mocking the CGT as a German car stem from the heavy component sharing with the Pheaton. To be fair the interior of CGT did previous look like a dressed up Pheaton.

It will take a few years from this to leave people's heads. In the mean time, those who can afford a CGT will continue to cherish it as a luxurious, fast and comfortable daily driver.

 

[SDNR]

Mocking the CGT as a German car stem from the heavy component sharing with the Pheaton. To be fair the interior of CGT did previous look like a dressed up Pheaton.

It will take a few years from this to leave people's heads. In the mean time, those who can afford a CGT will continue to cherish it as a luxurious, fast and comfortable daily driver.

Do you really think the Phaeton and CGT interiors looked alike? Obviously, there was some common switchgear.

Actually, I always thought the Poltrona Frau upholstery in the Phaeton was nicer than in the Bentley.

I would agree that the general feeling of the original CGT was like a high quality production-line German car.

 

[Deleted member 1071]

The Phaeton was often the recipient of a "bad rap". Lacking brand equity and thus disappointing unit sales figures often leave this car subjected to unfair assessment. In comparison to, for example, its' M-B W220 S-Class competitor of the era, the degree of assembly and material quality seen on and in the Phaeton had the M-B product disappearing in its' wake. BMWs' E65 7 series came far closer, in this context, as a rival. But it is certainly arguable as to whether BMW offered the superior product. And the E65s' aesthetic qualities were highly controversial.

Summa Summarum, the Phaeton was an excellent automobile.

 

[Centurion]

Do you really think the Phaeton and CGT interiors looked alike? Obviously, there was some common switchgear.

Yes. The center console and dashboard layout was near identical. VAG didn't even bother giving the CGT a differentiated steering wheel. However the high level of parts sharing enabled them to offer the car at a price point more accessible to younger buyers

 

[SDNR]

Yes. The center console and dashboard layout was near identical. VAG didn't even bother giving the CGT a differentiated steering wheel. However the high level of parts sharing enabled them to offer the car at a price point more accessible to younger buyers

Yes.

You might have missed the news Opel and Vauxhall are now French.

Ah yes. Thank you.

 

[Tarek]

Man..the interior is just sublime!

 

[Merc1]

Yes Bentley has done it. They have reasserted this car's rightful position. It no longer has to worry about the S Coupe or the Wraith IMO. When the convertible arrives and then the Flying Spur Bentley will be something special again.

M

 

[sako97]

Wow, Autoline Detroit is still around. Very, very informative interior walkthrough with Head of interior design, Darren Day:

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0.3mm gap between the rotating screen and the veneer panels.
2 miles of interior stitching & 310.000 stitches.

 

[gdm]

 

[Merc1]

In watching that video it is clear that Bentley has seriously upped their interior game. Amazing.

M