Posts for 'Bentley' Category

Bentley Motors plans to unveil its $200,000 Continental Flying Spur Speed sedan in Boston today - apparently the first time any automaker has chosen the Hub for a worldwide product launch.

Bentley has previously rolled out vehicles in Paris, Geneva and other posh locales.

But the legendary British automaker chose Boston this time because Bentley plans to move its North American headquarters here from Detroit this fall.

“We really wanted to use our new location as a showcase for the brand,” company spokesman David Reuter said.

Bentley expects some 150 auto journalists from around the world to hit the Hub this month to check out the Flying Spur Speed, along with a 2009 update to the standard, $180,000 Flying Spur.

The product launches will kick off with a formal unveiling today for auto reporters at the Boston Harbor Hotel.

Bentley CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen and engineering chief Ulrich Eichhorn have already flown in from Britain to officiate. In fact, Bentley’s entire six-member board spent the weekend in town checking out launch preparations.

The Flying Spur Speed features Bentley’s most-powerful production engine ever: a 600-horsepower W-12. That’s 12 cylinders arranged in a “W” pattern - essentially two V-6 engines laid side by side, providing enough power to run the Flying Spur Speed at 200 mph.

Read the complete story

Strong growth in both emerging and traditional markets takes Bentley above 10,000 units for the first time. New sales record set in the United Kingdom market.

With retail sales of 10,014 units worldwide, Bentley has completed the best year in its history. In the UK, a record 2079 units were sold in all.

In North America, a figure of 4196 units was achieved, despite the prevailing economic climate, and a new record was set in continental Europe with 2166 units. In China, the final sales number was 338 units. In Korea, 100 cars were sold in the first year in that market with overseas income in excess of £745 million.

Read the complete story

Bentley's Continental Flying Spur proved that the revived British brand was no one-hit wonder when it was launched in 2005. The four-door companion to the four-seat GT sportscar is claimed to be the fastest four-door in the world, with a top speed of 195 mph.The luxury sedan shares its platform and major drivetrain components with the Continental GT coupe and GTC convertible, including a W-12 engine with twin turbos generating 552 horsepower. All-wheel drive is standard, as is a six-speed automatic transmission. It can reach 60 mph in about 5.4 seconds.Standard amenities include four-zone climate control, auto-adjusting suspension, 19-inch wheels and 16-way power driver's seat. As with other cars in this class, each individual car can be extensively customized with factory-available and dealer-installed optional equipment.For 2008, the Spur gets minor updates including a handful of new options, new colors, and upgraded technology. The Spur's stability control now includes a "sport traction" mode. Like the GT and GTC, the Spur now gets standard Sirius satellite radio, a new Breitling clock, better Bluetooth hardware and a brake pedal embossed with Bentley's historic "B" logo.New options for the Flying Spur include a rearview camera, a three-spoke steering wheel, carbon-ceramic brakes, new green or gray paint, and new tan or green leather interiors.

Bentley Azure Goes on First Drive

Bentley Azure

Features

Make: Bentley
Model: Azure
Place of Origin: North Wales
Price: Approximate price is £228,000
Availability: Now Available
Main Matching Rival Cars – Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Continental GTC
Pros: beautiful hand-built interior, exclusive performance with ease, Super-luxury four-seat convertible
Cons: Extraordinary large size and poor turning incuts, and massive fuel consumption.

Any Bentley is a relatively exclusive automobile, but the Brooklands is even more so with only 550 cars to be produced in total. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in early 2008.
The greatest Bentleys have always been the grand touring variants. Two doors, four seats, a powerful engine, sporty-yet-supple suspension, wood and leather trim, and a gracefully aggressive appearance were all requisite for the affluent gentleman who needed to get to some exotic destination fast. The whole idea conjures up romantic images of high-speed blasts from London to the south of France for a weekend holiday. Or an overnight trip to Geneva just for the chocolate. Or maybe Venice, because you have a hankering for some really good espresso.

The unveiling of new Bentley Brooklands evoked the past memories of the heydays of 1930s. The large, 20-inch (51cm) wheels, short front and long rear overhangs, and long, tall bonnet are all hallmarks of Bentley’s traditional grand tourers.

The Brooklands' "classic elegant proportions" help make it "the ultimate car for what I like to call the 'gentleman driver'" said Bentley’s Chairman Franz-Josef Paefgen. It lives up to founder W.O. Bentley's vision of "fast, beautiful, reliable sports cars".

Visually large, sleek, powerful this Bentley is unmistakably roomier than previous Bentley coupes, especially in the rear. Bentley claims that Brooklands is the most spacious and comfortable luxury coupe that hits the target: muscular, elegant, powerful, rakish, and most attractive of all hand-built coupes.