The W12 engine has become something of a trademark for Bentley in the 21st century. For many years, Bentleys were essentially just badge-engineered Rolls-Royces, while both companies were owned by the aircraft maker Vickers. But VW group took control of Bentley in 1998—BMW got Rolls-Royce—and it was time for something fresh.

I had the chance to drive a quick couple of laps at a racetrack near Barcelona, Spain in the prototype and nothing about the car surprised but for the light and delicate steering. By all rights, it should not feel so supple and accurate.

As a result, Bentley claim that the new Continental GT is more comfortable, better balanced and less snappy when pushing on. The outright ability hasn’t been transformed, yet it should be easier to exploit the limits of what this 2.5-tonne GT car can do.

The W12 engine is dead, but the new Continental GT’s hybrid V8 hits harder and uses less fuel. We sample it in prototype form

We drove the 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed prototypes at the 2.6-mile, 11-turn Parcmotor Castellolí race circuit near Barcelona. For four laps. In the rain. The Bentley's performance made it worth the trip.