$10.5 million in sales - and coupe is not even here yet

The new Bentley Continental GT hasn't even arrived in the country yet and already 30 New Zealanders have paid deposits to secure the car.

The two-door coupe goes into production in Britain in October and the first customer model is expected to land on the Auckland wharf in the New Year.

Buyers who want their Bentley in time for Christmas will have to arrange to have the car flown from the Crewe factory.

Each car is priced at $349,000. The 30 orders from New Zealanders so far total about $10.5 million in sales.

A pre-production version was in Auckland the other day, together with executives from Bentley's Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore.

The Continental GT is the first all-new Bentley design in 70 years. The company - now owned by Volkswagen - describes it as its most significant new model since the first Bentley, the 3-litre, appeared in 1919.

"The Continental GT is more than a product launch," said PR head Julian Jenkins. "It is symbolic of the change that the company is going through. It is the first offspring of a new family of cars, which delivers unparalleled levels of refinement, craftsmanship and driver involvement."

Worldwide, Bentley has received 3200 deposits for the all-wheel-drive Continental GT. About 75 per cent of buyers are new to the marque.

The typical GT buyer has an average age of just 50, younger than the traditional Bentley customer. They are more typically owners of their own business rather than directors of public companies.

The Continental GT is powered by a twin-turbocharged W12 engine producing 408kW (552bhp) and 650Nm of torque at just 1600rpm.

It has a top speed of 320km/h (198mph) and will sprint from zero to 100km/h in under 5 seconds.

Power goes to all four wheels via a paddle-operated six-speed automatic transmission.