This is the Bentley Continental GT S: a cross-plane V8 GT with dancing shoes

Bentley has decided to fit a pair of dancing shoes onto its all-conquering Continental GT. This, friends, is the new Bentley Continental GT S (and GTC S), and while it offers no more power than a not-at-all-regular regular Conti GT, it’ll dance with the big boys.

Chiefly because Bentley’s fitted the GT S with its ‘Performance Active Chassis’, previously only available on the 771bhp GT Speed and GT Mulliner cars. The lively new chassis gets active AWD, twin valve dampers, torque vectoring – front to back and side to side – and Bentley’s 48V anti-roll system.

But of course, that’s not all. There’s a “new generation” of ESC software, an e-diff and all-wheel-steering, which together contribute to what Bentley claims is “the most advanced and driver-focused AWD setup”.

For ‘driver-focused’, read: drifty. Bentley’s really leaning into its wild side of late, and explains that with the ESC fully off, “the cornering stance can be balanced on-throttle by the driver”.

You’ll have a surfeit of power at your disposal, too. Though this gets the lesser of the Conti GT’s two engine options, it’s no slouch: the 4.0-litre cross-plane V8 and hybrid gubbins add up to 671bhp and 686lb ft of torque (versus the Speed’s 771bhp/738lb ft).

This version of Bentley’s ‘High Performance Hybrid’ allows a 0-62mph time of 3.5s and top speed of 190mph. Yup, that’ll do thanks.

And when you’re not balancing the cornering stance with a surfeit of power, you can admire the Conti GT S’s newfound aggression elsewhere: darkened and gloss black trim elements including black Bentley wings and lettering, black mirror caps, sills and rear diffuser, and tinted LED headlights.

It rides on 22s (though you can option different wheels), while inside there’s piano black veneer, ‘technical’ fabric and two-tone upholstery.

“Combining dramatic visual presence with the latest hybrid powertrain and the Continental GT Speed’s chassis technology, the S models are aimed squarely at the performance-focused driver,” said Bentley. Don’t forget your dancing shoes.