Bentley has released the first pictures of the next-generation Continental GT, which will pack nearly 800bhp from a new hybrid drivetrain, making it the firm's most powerful car yet.

A heavy revision of today's third-generation car, it is the first Bentley to use the new ‘ultra-performance hybrid’ set-up, which pairs an uprated 4.0-litre V8 with a single electric motor that is expected to be integrated into the gearbox. The two combine to send up to 771bhp and 738lb ft to all four wheels, making it more potent than the W12 fitted in the highly exclusive Batur.

The result will almost certainly be a 0-62mph time quicker than the 3.6sec claimed by the old 650bhp Continental GT Speed, although Bentley has yet to publish any detailed performance figures.

As well as mammoth power, the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) set-up officially delivers 50 miles of electric-only driving between charges, contributing to a CO2 emissions figure of less than 50g/km. This would place it in the 8% benefit-in-kind tax band for the 2024-25 financial year. 

Bentley has yet to detail the weight implications of the car's new electrified innards, but the outgoing V8 GT Speed tipped Autocar’s scales at 2279kg. 

In a bid to preserve its dynamic character, the incoming fourth-generation car receives new dual-valve dampers in addition to tweaked active anti-roll bars, plus revised torque vectoring and four-wheel steering systems.

The new PHEV replaces Bentley’s previous V8 and W12 powertrains wholesale, with the Continental GTC cabriolet and Flying Spur saloon also set to be updated later this year.

The Bentley Bentayga will offer a pure-combustion engine until 2026, at which point it will go hybrid-only.

The V6-based PHEV in the Bentayga and Flying Spur remains on sale.