[Auto] Bentley Has Built 80,000 Continental GTs, First One Still On The Road

[YaKoMoS]

In 2003, the Bentley Continental GT marked a major transition for the British brand as its first product to ride on a platform shared with Volkswagen Group products. It turned out to be a massive success. A recently completed Conti GT V8 in Orange Flame set the milestone of the company completing 80,000 units.

Bentley collected a few special versions of the Continental GT to commemorate the achievement. The family gathering included the first production-spec Conti GT to roll off the line. The company has kept it taxed and tested in its fleet.

Gallery: Bentley Continental GT 80,000 Production Milestone

There was also a first-gen Continental Supersports, which was a sporty variant that Bentley unveiled in 2009. It had a 6.0-liter W12 pumping out 621 horsepower (463 kilowatts) and could reach 204.4 miles per hour (329 kilometers per hour).

The company included some of the record-setting and racing models. For example, the grand tourer earned a speed record on ice in 2007 by going 199.86 mph (321.65 kph) on a frozen section of the sea off the coast of Finland. There have been two generations of GT3 race cars with victories that include a win at the 2020 12 Hours of Bathurst in Australia. Plus, the Bentley earned a Production Class record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 2019. A Conti GT also competed in a round of the 2020 Ice Race GT in Zell Am See, Austria.

Rounding out the display, there was a second-gen Continental GT V8 S in the color Jetstream. Finally, a Dragon Red convertible from the current press fleet was there.

Bentley says there are 17 billion ways a customer could specify the current Continental GT. This is mostly because of the huge number of paint, trim, and upholstery options that the company offers.