“It’s not every day you get an opportunity like this,” said Frank-Steffen Walliser at the recent launch of the fourth generation. Bentley Continental GT Vitesse in the Swiss Alps. It’s true that the new 55-year-old finds himself in rare company: only a handful of people have run the company. British brand since its founding by WO Bentley in 1919.

Auto industry executives come in all shapes and sizes: some are decidedly charismatic, others militaristic and tactical. At first glance, Walliser’s journey seems anathema to how many people view the modern Bentley brand. A 29-year veteran of Porsche AGhe started his career as a trainee and quickly found his calling in all things motorsport.

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The flagship of Porsche 911 was in the final throes of air-cooling technology when Walliser joined the team in 1995. After three years of service, Bentley avoided extinction by being purchased by Volkswagen AG, later marking the brand’s rebirth with the reinvented Continental GT in 2003. Meanwhile, back at Porsche, Walliser’s engineering background and focus on internal combustion technology led him to serve as general manager of motorsport between 2003 and 2008, and drive the RS Spyder to success in the American Le Mans racing series. His streetcar credibility was further strengthened when he headed the 918 Spyder project, propelling Stuttgart’s offering into the so-called holy trinity of supercars that included hybrid-powered halos from Ferrari and McLaren.

Walliser’s arrival at Bentley comes at a critical time. While the luxury automaker has seen record sales during the pandemic, its Beyond 100 electrification deployment plan was postponed due to technical issues and falling demand for electric vehicles. The original plan to make the Bentley range fully electric by 2030 has been pushed back to the mid-2030s, with high-performance plug-in hybrids such as the Continental GT Speed ​​filling the gap. Bentley says the first pure EV will be revealed in 2026.

Walliser admits he underestimated Bentley when he arrived. “One surprise – I don’t know if I should say it – is that the cars are better than I thought. From an engineering point of view, they are really, really good,” he says. He also reveals that he didn’t realize the level of craftsmanship until he witnessed it at the Crewe factory. “Seeing 700 people working with leather and wood surprised me,” he says. The culture shock is understandable given Porsche’s focus on function over form.

After joining Bentley in March, Walliser almost immediately connected with employees in different departments. “In these first days, you really have to talk to people, listen, see how things go without having any ideas or making decisions. I’m really trying to understand the motivation behind the process.

And this is where it gets interesting for enthusiasts: in order to capture the essence of the brand, the new leader got behind the wheel of a number of cars from the classic collection – perhaps one of the ways the most visceral and direct for an engineering mind. individual to understand the emotional intention behind a mechanical object.

Walliser says two models particularly struck him: the Turbo R (1985 to 1989) and the first-generation Continental GT Supersports (2009 to 2011). He says the Turbo R marked “a sort of renaissance for Bentley. I can feel the idea of ​​the engineers behind this car. It’s really impressive. The Turbo R has been nicknamed “The Gentleman’s Express” because of the way it combines mountainous torque with fleet cruising speeds and abject comfort.

Walliser describes Supersports as “good”. . . it gives a lot of feeling and a little precision. This is something we can work on, to have this character across the entire fleet. » Given that Walliser’s current company car is a previous generation W12-powered Continental GT Speed, his affinity for the platform is clear.

Walliser’s description of the Supersports’ qualities sounds a lot like his automotive alma mater, which is appropriate, given that the new Continental shares a platform with the Porsche Panamera. Other elements derived from the Stuttgart automaker include the dual-clutch transmission and VW Group components like the 4.0-liter V8. Despite its resemblance to previous Continentals, the new plug-in hybrid represents one of the last lines in the sand for internal combustion, the timeline of which has been pushed into the future.

When asked how Bentley will distinguish itself when electric vehicle powertrains inevitably become ubiquitous, Walliser brings up a term he calls “Bentleyness.” “Of course you have to do more with the look and feel of the car and its interior so that if you walk in you say, ‘Wow, that’s a Bentley.’ And then maybe your second thought is that it’s a different transmission. He adds: “I love Bentley’s effortless expression. It’s not comfort, comfort is too generic. But effortless (this can also mean) your infotainment system is easy to use; if you have buttons (as opposed to touchscreen controls). . . it’s more driver-focused.

If anything, driver focus will likely be the most crucial differentiator for Bentley, even when its cars are powered entirely by electricity. Facing a former stablemate and current competitor Rolls-Roycethere is room for the brand, which swept the 24 Hours of Le Mans for much of the 1920s and early 1930s, to rely more on sporting qualities – which is why Frank-Steffen Walliser seems like the perfect person to lead Bentley into an uncertain future.

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