New Bentley Continental GT Will Borrow The Bacalar's Good Looks

Our spy photographers have been enduring the tail end of winter to bring you these spy shots of the newBentley Continental GT, and it looks like it's about to get a lot prettier than ever before.

These images provide the clearest look yet of the refreshed design, revealing that the luxury cruiser will adopt some of the styling language first expressed on the limited-productionBentley Bacalar, of which just 12 will ever be produced.

As you may recall, the Bacalar was a convertible, but as these pictures reveal, its design works perfectly well with a closed roof.

Interestingly, Crewe previously said that its most recent low-volume special, the 18-unitBentley Batur, would inform the styling of new models. These shots suggest that this will apply toall-newmodels, not updated ones like the Continental.

At the front, it's very much standard Conti GT fare, with a large inner headlight flanked by an auxiliary unit on the fascia's extremities, but these may now be joined by an LED strip, as on the Bacalar. A prominent radiator grille and lots of diamond-shaped mesh are joined by the traditional center line on the hood, and the profile is typically restrained.

At the rear, we see the Bacalar's influence beneath the camouflage of the taillights, which will become larger and more elongated. They're also split now. With more brightwork and other jewelry sure to become apparent as more camo is shed, the refreshed Conti will look glitzier and will likely show its design similarities with the Bacalar in greater detail.

It will never take on the Bacalar's design fully, as those who shelled out so much for one of 12 bespoke roadsters would not be happy. But it's clear that Bentley's design language is becoming more expressive and ostentatious. But not too much - this is a brand thathas always been somewhat understated.