Bentley took the wraps off of its redesigned Continental GT Convertible on Monday, ahead of the car's world debut on Wednesday at the 2018 Los Angeles auto show.
The formula is pretty much the same as the previous generation, but Bentley has upped the opulence with even finer materials, including an optional tweed roof.
We already found much to love with the Continental GT coupe's new looks, and the convertible shares its striking, chiseled shape. With that said, the main difference is, obviously, the addition of a folding soft-top roof. Bentley said the roof will raise or lower in 19 seconds at speeds up to 30 mph. Customers will have the choice of seven different colors, which includes an authentic tweed finish offered for the first time. Tweed is a luxurious material made from woolen cloth, and often features flecked colors mixed within.
2019 Bentley Continental GT convertible
With the roof down, drivers will be able to take advantage of new heating elements to enjoy top-down cruises on cooler days, too. Bentley said the Continental GT Convertible includes a new neck warmer, styled to recall the brand's "bullseye vents," heated steering wheel, seats, and armrests.
The cockpit is the real star of the show, which customers can spec with high-quality leathers and veneers. Bentley even offers dual veneers with over 100 square-feet of real wood used in each GT Convertible.
A new center console finish recalls the technical look of Swiss watches called Côtes de Genève is also an option for the center console's lower fascia. The surface features a linear pattern machined onto 0.6-millimeter thick aluminum with each row of the pattern measuring 5 mm wide to create a 3D look. Other small improvements include the addition of some pillow knurling on some of the controls for a softer feel. Like the Continental GT coupe, the convertible also features the nifty rotating center console.
2019 Bentley Continental GT convertible
Drivers can choose to display a 12.3-inch infotainment unit, rotate the unit to display three analog gauges, or simply hide all of it with a flush look to match the interior motif. The driver also faces a digital gauge cluster that recalls Audi's Virtual Cockpit. And the driving experience is further hushed with a new Z-fold roof. The sealing and acoustic treatment make the new Continental GT Convertible quieter than the previous-generation coupe, per Bentley.
Power is identical to the latest coupe, too. A 6.0-liter W-12 makes 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque thanks to some help from a twin-turbocharger setup. An eight-speed dual-clutch transmission sends power to a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system, which will send the Continental GT Convertible from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. That's just 0.1 of a second slower than the coupe, and Bentley said the new convertible body is 20 percent lighter and 5 percent stiffer over the previous Continental GT minus a roof.
Bentley didn't provide pricing or a launch date for the new drop-top, but we'll likely learn more at the L.A. auto show debut. For more coverage on the show, head to our dedicated hub.
