I know what you're thinking. The W12 is gone, and so is Bentley's soul?

Come on, save those crocodile tears. That W12 was like a sumo wrestler in a tuxedo—immensely powerful, but always carrying a sense of clumsiness.

Take a look at the just-revealed 2026 Bentley Continental GT S.

I hadn't even seen the car yet, and I already heard it. This 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 paired with the standard sport exhaust—that sound is a provocation.

Many people will sneer when they see the spec sheet: 671 horsepower.

That's right, a full 100 horsepower less than the big brother Speed version. In the eyes of keyboard car gods, this is a utter humiliation.

But you need to get one fact straight: this car runs on the road, not in an Excel spreadsheet.

671 horsepower, 686 pound-feet of torque, combined with the instant torque fill from the electric motor—this launch will push your breakfast right back into your stomach. 0 to 60 in 3.3 seconds, and you're telling me that's "slow"?

Here's the key point—this time, Bentley did something that punches above its weight.

In the past, buying the S version meant buying an appearance package. But this time, Bentley stuffed all the Speed version's chassis secrets—the stuff they'd normally keep locked away—into the S.

48V active anti-roll bars, rear-wheel steering, electronic limited-slip differential—hardcore equipment that previously required spending tens of thousands more to enjoy is now all standard.

And this 48V anti-roll bar system is pure black magic. The car weighs over 2.4 tons; by all logic, it should lean like a yacht through corners, but this thing stays planted like it's nailed to rails. Rear-wheel steering makes this nearly 5-meter-long beast turn as nimbly as a Golf when making U-turns.

Now let's look at the sheet metal.

The S version's most signature feature is the "blackout." Black grille, black window frames, black exhaust tips—even the headlights get a smoked treatment.

This Blackline package might have been considered heresy in the past, but nowadays, this is exactly the vibe young wealthy buyers want.

It doesn't look like it's heading to a royal banquet—it looks like it's going to acquire a rival company.

Pull open the door, and a wave of money hits you in the face—but this time there's something extra.

The steering wheel and seats use plenty of Dinamica material—basically a premium microfiber. The feel is genuinely great, with high friction—not cold to the touch in winter, not scorching in summer.

But I have to vent one complaint: if you're a heavy sweater, this steering wheel will be an absolute disaster over time. Once that fuzzy layer mats down, it'll feel like petting a cat that's gone bald.

Another detail that really satisfies me: this car retains a huge number of physical buttons.

In an era where even the air conditioning requires digging through three levels of menus, Bentley still insists on letting you adjust the vents with metal rollers. That damping feel, that "click" sound—that's the dignity a luxury car should have. The screen? That's just for the passenger to watch movies.

This hybrid system is also worth mentioning. 50 miles (about 80 kilometers) of pure electric range.

This is fascinating—you can silently glide out of your mansion neighborhood full of neighbors without waking anyone, and once you hit the highway, awaken that V8 beast. This split personality is exactly the caliber a top-tier GT sports car should have.

So stop obsessing over the vanished W12.

The 2026 Continental GT S is a smarter, more ferocious machine that better suits real-world driving needs.

It spends the money where it counts—chassis and handling—rather than on excess horsepower that's only useful for bragging at the bar and utterly pointless in daily life.

If you ask me how to choose, I'd cross out the Speed version order without hesitation. The money you save is enough to fill up on fuel for the rest of your life, plus replace several sets of tires worn flat by this V8.

That's the choice of someone who truly knows cars!