Continental GT 20th Anniversary Baton Completes Lap of the World

Bentley celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Continental GT with a global baton relay for which 20 special drivers were selected. The baton relay crossed Europe, the Middle East, China, Asia Pacific and the USA before returning to the luxury automaker’s Crewe headquarters.

December 6, 2023
A unique global relay, marking 20 years of the Continental GT, has reached its conclusion with the arrival in Crewe of the specially made 20th anniversary baton. The baton’s lap of the world included drives in Europe, the Middle East, China, Asia Pacific, the US and UK, visiting 20 journalists and content creators along the way as stop offs on 20 memorable drives – each representing one year of Continental GT production.
The design of the 20th anniversary baton was developed in the Crewe design studio and received the same level of meticulous refinement as any production model feature. Finished in Cypress Green (echoing the exterior of the first-ever production Continental GT), the baton has an intriguing, asymmetrical twist, like the blade of an aircraft propeller. A knurled cap, modelled on the Continental GT’s drive mode selector, allows access to the baton’s hollow interior, in which the scroll signed by all 20 relay participants is housed and transported.
Head of Bentley Design Collaborations, Chris Cooke delved into the details:
‘Every element of the baton sculpture was inspired by the Continental GT, and there is purpose in every form. For example, the end cap shows a simplified graphic of the Continental GT with its three feature lines; the Bentley powerline from the front wheel arch along the car’s flanks; the flyline of the roof; and the muscular “haunch” over the rear wheel. Hold the baton horizontally, and as you turn it in your hands you will see each of those lines in the contours of the sculpture.’
The 20th anniversary baton will now find its home in Bentley’s Heritage Garage, together with the very first Continental GT, as a highly significant year in the company’s history draws to a close.