Bentley's jolly green giant

The Continental GT Speed's relatively smaller V8 engine with plug-in hybrid tech makes 1,000Nm of torque

- Edric Pan

CHIBA, Japan - Green is the launch colour of the latest iteration of the Bentley Continental GT Speed. Symbolically so, because for the first time since its debut in 2003, Bentley's big coupe is a plug-in hybrid.

This car is a heavy revamp of the third-generation Continental GT, and so extensive are the revisions that Bentley deems it a standalone fourth-generation model. Unusually, the marque unveils the range-topping Speed version first - lower-powered variants will roll along in the months to come.

Face-on, you can tell the new model apart at a glance because it has a pair of round headlamps instead of a quartet. It is the first non-four-eyed regular production Bentley since the 1959 Bentley S2. Across each of those two headlamps sits a bold, horizontal "eyebrow", which contains the LED daytime-running lights. When lit, they give the car an unmistakable signature face, which Bentley likens to the focused stare of a hunting tiger.

At the back, the boot lid has been reshaped to incorporate a downforce-generating lip at its trailing edge, eliminating the need for the predecessor's deployable rear spoiler. The rear bumper has been restyled to look cleaner and wider, and the tail-lights have been stretched laterally and now extend into the boot lid.

Reflecting their secondary role as decorative jewellery, there are also diamond-patterned effects within both the head- and tail-lamps. There are newly styled 22-inch rims too, which - in line with the tiger theme - are inspired by the claws of a tiger, according to Bentley.

Inside, the Continental GT continues to cosset you in one of the plushest and most elegant wood-and-leather cabins in the motoring world.

Uniquely among its rivals, it is a true four-seater, with the rear compartment snug but comfortable for tall adults.