Zagato, the great Italian styling house, presented its latest interpretation of ‘the style of a British GT’ when it unveiled the result of its first collaboration with Bentley at Geneva. The Bentley GTZ follows in the footsteps of the 2006 Ferrari 575GTZ and, in 2007, the Maserati GS Zagato shown at Villa D’Este. The challenge, says Zagato, has been to apply the same ‘neo-classical’ design language to a vehicle of totally different proportions: the Bentley Continental GT Speed.

The Zagato design team faced severe technical restrictions and a need to carry over many of the original parts to maintain the dynamic integrity of this very sophisticated vehicle. Yet, despite this, the team was determined to give the car a highly distinctive character.



This they achieved with the double-bubble roof, pronounced wheelarch lines and a rounded tail, together with all-new rear combination lights. The body has a more imposing, extravagant character than the original coupé, while still retaining that solidity which is so much a part of the car’s charm. It is certainly extrovert in its styling; which is highly appropriate to a limited-production model born from two such pillars of automotive culture as Bentley and Zagato.

Text: Charis Whitcombe
Photos: Zagato