Bentley Bringing The Style With The Next Continental GTC

The last couple of Bentley Continental iterations have, on a whole, been rather handsome cars. For sure, they aren't quite as ravishing to the eye as an Aston Martin or a Jaguar, and the most recent facelift has added some slightly fussier elements to the car here and there, but it's hard to argue the case that they're butt ugly cars. However, it is far easier to make the claim that the Continental clan's overall look hasn't really moved on that much since the Continental GT nameplate was introduced in 2003.

That's all set to change, though, with the upcoming third generation Continental GT. As demonstrated in these spy shots of development mules for the drop-top 'GTC' model, the next Conti model will be far more visually distinct to its predecessors than the second-gen GT was to the 2003 original. Sure, you've still got details like the elliptical tailpipes, four circular head lamps and mesh grille, and the basic proportions are still there, but the little tweaks amount to a car with a far more distinct look. The entire front end, for instance, is far more pronounced than the current Continental's, with the more upright grille, the headlight arrangement and the crinkles on the hood clearly being inspired by the EXP 10 Speed Six concept revealed last year.

Look further around the car, and more fixtures suggest the third-generation of Bentley Continental GT models will be far bolder in their aesthetic than prior versions, with the seemingly more pronounced rear fenders being the easiest extra to spot when cross-examining the current Conti and these test cars. Even the windshield appears to be that bit more sharply raked back than the current Continental, which - in conjunction with all the bolder and more aggressive styling cues - hopefully means the next Conti family will be a bit more sporting than the current versions. Not that we'd expect the next Continental model to be a razor sharp driving tool, and especially not the convertible model.