The Bentley Continental GT has only been in production since 2004. While two decades is nothing to be sniffed at, it is a car so instantly recognisable as ‘Bentley’, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s been around for far longer. Like Porsche’s 911, it has become a ubiquitous staple of the Bentley fleet, and has long set the bar for cars in its rarified class.

A lot has changed in its lifespan. It was the first new Bentley produced under Volkswagen ownership, a more modern-looking, mass-made machine over its predecessor Continental R, which was low-volume and largely hand-built. Only around 1,800 Rs were made between 1991 and 2004, while Bentley was pushing around 10,000 GTs per year from launch. This dramatic increase in sales and access to VW tech and know-how essentially saved the company, establishing a solid foundation on which to build on for the future.

For many since then, the GT is the Bentley of choice. “The larger Bentley models like the Bentayga or the Flying Spur are a little too grand and stately for my sensibilities,” says journalist and founder of automotive consultancy Tough Crowd, Natasha Bird. “A die-hard sports car lover who spends as much time on track as possible, the Continental GT is the performance model with the sportiest styling.”

Part of its success was down to its W12 engine. A 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged monolith, it became synonymous with the long-distance comfort and opulence of the GT. When the second and third gen Contis came along, so too did the W12, a reliably luxurious marriage of two V6 blocks giving access to more torque and overtaking ability than virtually anything else on the road.

For the latest iteration of the GT though, the W12 is gone. With increased government regulations and a need for efficiency and sustainability and the looming ban on new petrol cars in 2035, it’s been replaced by an ‘Ultra Performance’ hybrid V8. This sounds, on paper, like a downgrade. But in practice the new powertrain is just as smooth, more powerful and even more characterful. Floor your right foot and it still sounds like thunder. “Even if you’re not a car person, you have to love the sound,” says presenter Emma Walsh. “The engine feels alive, you feel it in your chest.”

It is also a good compromise between maintaining the appeal of internal combustion with the efficiency and instantaneous torque of electric power. With doubts over whether the 2035 EV mandate will actually happen, a lack of demand from consumers and with a number of luxury marques pushing back their electric flagships, it might even be the way forward.

“The current hybrid direction makes sense,” says automotive content creator Cat Roberts. “It’s a clever way to add extra power without losing the soul of the car. It is the perfect balance, whilst keeping the driving experience true to what a Bentley should be.”

Bentley has delayed its own electric future, pushing back its first EV to 2026, and its all-electric lineup from 2030 to 2035. This follows the delayed electric Range Rover, and Aston Martin, which has pushed its first battery powered vehicle to the end of this decade, citing weak customer demand. We’re expecting to hear from Jaguar soon on whether it will stick to its 2026 release date.

There is likely to be plenty of excitement for Bentley’s own EV. “The ambition has to be there to create something truly special,” says automotive influencer Freddie Dobbs. “An oversized SUV with a Bentley badge stuck on the front, won’t cut it. A re-imagined electric Continental that somehow holds onto that Bentley magic and heritage… that’s another story.”

For performance vehicles of the present, Bentley’s hybrid system could be the perfect solution. The GT can run on electric-only range for up to 50 miles, but when working in unison with the engine it boosts low-down torque, eliminating turbo lag for an immediate throttle response. It helps propel the GT from 0-60mph in just 3.1 seconds. Put the car in ‘charge’ mode on long journeys though and the 4.0-litre V8 tops up the battery, so when you return to town you can kill the engine and glide through built up areas unnoticed. It is this kind of clever, performance-enhancing tech that we could see in future VW Golf GTIs, or more attainable sports cars. It combines the petrolhead’s need for thrills with low emissions, and makes you wonder whether EVs can ever replace the internal combustion engine at the performance end of the market.

“As a petrolhead I wince at the idea of a totally electric future,” says Bird. “For myself, and others with a staunch fealty to combustion, I like the skill of knowing how to feel when a car is balanced under my body, and how to pull off the sort of stunts that modern electric cars with all their safety features would never allow. I also have a romantic attachment to cars aesthetically. I don’t want a car to be neat, practical, simple, or even necessarily aerodynamic (unless we’re talking supercars on track). I like cars as art pieces, or badges of personality. And it’s difficult to find an EV that really fits the bill.”

Will hybrids be the future of fast, exciting transport then? “I’d hope to see hybrids as the future of performance cars,” says Roberts. “They strike the right balance of keeping the character and thrill of an engine while adding extra power. It feels like the right direction without losing what makes driving exciting.”

Whether they’ll be able to stick around beyond 2035 remains to be seen. For now, the Continental GT continues to set the pace.