Bentley Brooklands

Bentley’s rich coupé heritage provided the stimulus for the design team to create a powerful, muscular and rakish grand touring coupé. Beautiful flowing lines pay tribute to the traditional coach-building skills synonymous with Bentley whilst its design and engineering allow for a contemporary take on tradition.
As the 2007 Brooklands is to be strictly limited in volume, only 550 cars will be produced, the design allows Bentley to introduce unique features that necessitate specialist coach-building techniques. The ‘floating’ rear screen with it’s lower edge sitting well above the upper edge of the boot lid provides a flowing, flawless line to the back of the car. A feature that can only be achieved by individually hand-welding the rear wings to the C-pillars.
Beneath the muscular, coach-built body of the Bentley Brooklands lies the most powerful Crewe-built V8 ever produced, developing 530bhp (395kW) and a maximum torque of an astonishing 774lb ft (1050Nm). Although performance figures are subject to final confirmation, the Brooklands will deliver supercar levels of in-gear acceleration combined with understated refinement.
The interior design of the Bentley Brooklands coupe echoes the sleek profile of the elegant exterior by offering a new, single-piece, hide-trimmed roof lining which flows uninterrupted from the front windscreen to the rear of the car. The pillarless window design and wider front and rear cabin with individual, electronically operated seats in the rear, help to enhance this feeling of comfort and space.

Mercedes-Benz SL550

Of all the Mercedes-Benz models that could be accused of being born with a silver spoon in its mouth, the SL arguably tops the list. Unlike many grand-touring cars, the Mercedes SL has never been forced to compromise its blue-blood personal-luxury/sport ideals with feigned attempts at practicality to please executives or attract buyers. It has, more or less, remained an unapologetic take-it-or-leave-it proposition since it debuted nearly six decades ago, and the 2013 SL550 does nothing to alter its course. Cool, Quiet Confidence Every move the 2013 SL550 makes is steeped in a competent, laid-back confidence; pin the throttle, and the car takes a moment to gather itself, as if saying to the driver, “Okay, dude, you ready? This is gonna be pretty awesome.” And with that, the seven-speed automatic downshifts, the twin turbos gorge themselves on air, and the whole shebang takes off, pulling hard to an observed 159-mph top speed (Mercedes claims an electronically limited 155). Life in th...

McLaren 650S Sprint

McLaren’s new 650S model now comes in three flavors, the standard road going 650S, the competition-spec 650S GT3 for serious racers, and now there’s the 650S Sprint which is aimed at track enthusiasts who still want a little bit of comfort. The 650S Sprint also replaces the MP4-12C-based 12C Sprint as McLaren’s track toy for the super-rich. Compared to the road model, the 650S Sprint features increased downforce and better cooling airflow to the 3.8 litre twin-turbocharged V8. It also features a competition-spec fuel tank and quick-fill cap, a larger radiator borrowed from the GT3 car, a new hood with additional cooling ducts for the radiator, front wing louvres for improved airflow, reduced ride height and recalibrated damping and spring rates, 19-inch center-locking race wheels with either Pirelli slicks or wet tires, onboard air jack system, and an upgraded braking system. On the inside the McLaren 650S Sprint features a stripped-out design with a FIA-approved rol...

Lamborghini Canto – What the Murcielago could have been?

Back in the late 1990s, when Lamborghini were starting to realise they needed a replacement for the ageing Diablo, they started reviewing design proposals from various automotive design firms. Zagato’s offering was the Zagato L147 SuperDiablo, or as it was to be later known, the Lamborghini Canto. The Lamborghini Canto first appeared in 1998, it arrived only two years after another Zagato designed Lamborghini concept had been unveiled, the Diablo-based Raptor. The cars shared a number of similar features, including the wraparound windows, triangular lateral air intakes, and trademark double-bubble roof. However of the two, the earlier Raptor was probably the better looking. Clearly Ferdinand Piech – head of the Volkswagen Group – thought so too. After VW bought Lamborghini in 1999, one of his first decisions was to review the Canto’s development and redesign the concept. The car was re-engineered and the rear extensively restyled to include smaller air intakes....

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