Bentley Continental GT Design Series China

Limousines and Supercars Debut at Beijing Motor Show

The gulf between perception and reality is often enough to swallow entire countries whole. Take China, for example. The images many still conjure up in their heads when thinking about the Asian giant might come down to squalid shanty towns oppressed by communist overlords. But with the free market taking a greater hold with each passing day, the People's Republic is quickly emerging as a vital market for purveyors of luxury goods, including high-end automobiles. Sure, the average peasant may be able to afford little more than a rickety bicycle, but with the world's largest population numbering over a billion people, even the top fraction of the socio-economic strata can overshadow entire nations.

Against such a backdrop, it should come as no great surprise that the world's premium automakers scrambled to the Chinese capital this year with a wide array of exotic and luxury automobiles. In fact the cars making their world debuts at this year's Beijing Motor Show were enough on their own to outshine the last major international exposition in Manhattan. Follow the jump to see what all the fuss was about.

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Bentley Unveils Two Special Edition Continentals in Beijing

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

We've got good news and we've got bad news. The good news first, you say? Bentley has presented not one, but two new special editions of its popular Continental range. The bad news? You'll have to go to China to get them.

The long-winded Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed China takes "the world's fastest four-door saloon" and tones it down, apparently for local tastes, with a softer suspension and a quieter exhaust.

The Bentley Continental GT Design Series China, meanwhile, is based on the coupe and upgrades with a unique interior with three-tone leather, vibrant trim and exterior tint in such colors as Orange Flame and Magenta Metallic.

Both are earmarked and designed specifically for the Chinese market – which has grown tenfold since entering the market in 2002 to become Bentley's third largest – and are being unveiled this week at the Beijing Motor Show.

Gallery: Bentley Continental GT Design Series China