Among the new styling features on the updated Continental GT include the gemstone-style headlights, the slightly extended and flared front wings, and the redesigned bonnet and grille design. At the rear there is a slightly squarer look, with the rear fenders and taillights gaining some edges. Overall the car is 41mm wider in front and 48mm wider at the rear.

Inside, the Continental GT remains mostly unchanged, but there is now new equipment such as a new touch-screen infotainment unit with a 30GB hard drive, and an 11-speaker sound system from Naim, with TV/DVD/Phone/iPod/ connectivity. Redesigned front seats improve rear leg room by 46mm, while there is also a 'floating' centre console and higher quality materials used for the interior.

The biggest news lies under the bonnet. The standard 6.0-litre W12 engine has been subtly tweaked to produce 567bhp and 699Nm of torque, an increase of 15bhp and 50Nm from before. This enables the car to go from 0-100km/h in 4.4 seconds, an improvement of 0.2 seconds, and reach a top speed of 319km/h.

There will also be a new 4.0-litre V8 powerplant that will be offered on the Continental GT next year. Bentley has not revealed much details of the new engine, but it is said to be more efficient than the W12, and also FlexFuel-friendly, which means it can run on bio-fuel. Other performance upgrades include aluminium suspension components, a new steering system, and a 40:60 spilt all-wheel drive system.