'Coming Soon'

Bentley has a new limited-edition model in the works, and while details are scarce, a brief teaser hints that it will be rare, sporty, and revive a name from the automaker's past.

"The return of an iconic name to Bentley is imminent, 100 years after it was first introduced," the automaker announced in a short statement. "This will be a rare Bentley—and one that is raring to perform. Another extraordinary car, coming soon."

Which Iconic Name Will It Be?

The mention of an "iconic name" returning "100 years after it was first introduced" means this new Bentley will pay tribute to something from arguably the greatest time in the automaker's history. Bentley was still independent in the 1920s, and in the midst of a spate of 24 Hours of Le Mans wins with the aristocratic "Bentley Boys" that formed its identity in the following decades.

As for iconic names, most of those 1920s Bentleys were straightforwardly named after the displacement of their engines (3-Litre, 4 1/12-litre, etc.). There was also the Speed Six, named after its enormous (6.5-liter) inline-six engine, the supercharged Blowers, and the one-off streamlined Blue Train coupe (commemorated by a recent concept car) named after a luxury train beaten by a Bentley in a Top Gear-like race.

A teaser image shows what appears to be a Bentley Continental GT coupe, which is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 and plug-in hybrid system. So unless Bentley has a new powertrain up its sleeve, calling it a Speed Six or Blower wouldn't be appropriate, no matter now much nostalgia those names draw up.

Other Product Plans In Flux

With production of the Batur convertible and coupe due to wind down soon, Bentley will soon have capacity for another limited-edition model. So the timing of this new mystery model makes sense. It will also give the automaker's best customers something new to spend their money on while the more mainstream part of the lineup gets rejiggered. At least one EV is expected in the next few years, but Bentley has indicated that it's pulling back from its previous all-electric strategy, and will keep gas engines for popular models like the Continental GT and Bentayga into the 2030s.