Road Strikers

VW Group reveals monster new 6.0-litre twelve-cylinder for its ‘premium’ models At the Vienna Motor Symposium last week, VW Group board member Dr Heinz-Jakob Neußer announced: "Climate protection is an integral part of [Volkswagen's] responsibility towards people and society." So welcome, everyone, to the Group's monster new 6.0-litre W12 TSI engine, ready for service in Volkswagen's premium portfolio. Because nothing screams eco like a 600bhp, range-topping twelve-cylinder engine. We jest, naturally - there were other, more efficient engines revealed too - but this one's important. Likely to feature in the new Continental and Mulsanne, as well as the VW Phaeton and Audi A8, it combines Audi's FSI direct injection and Bentley's TMPI multi-point injection, and features a host of engine improvements to make the business of suck-squeeze-bang-blow that much punchier. Things like cylinder bores with APS coating, a cooling system with integrated temp man...

Don’t assume for a second that an extra 21 brake horsepower added to an existing 500 doesn’t matter so much. On the face of it, the new Continental GT V8 S isn’t much more powerful than a standard V8, and you could be forgiven for taking a look at those figures on paper and having a bit of a shrug. Marketing sleight of hand to flog a ‘new’ model in an already strong-selling range. But within those extra 21bhp is a whole new world for Bentley, and the transformation is more than just a smidgeon of top end bunt: it is nastier, noisier, showier. Bentley, whose general approach has been to offer seamless speed with little more than a politely deferential cough, has recognised that its new, younger, brasher clients want dramatic theatre as well as luxury and comfort. Well, they’ve now got the whole West End blaring out of the figure-of-eight shaped pipes of the S. So here we are, in the land of the V8s, America, accelerating like crazy through the Calif...

What’s this? Bentley’s answer to the Renault R26R? Well they’re not exactly rivals, but the concept is similar: more performance, less weight and much less seating thanks to the deletion of the rear chairs. And to save everyone else having to peer into your car to confirm it’s a Supersports, the exterior features extra air intakes in a redesigned bumper, more vents in the bonnet, different tailpipes and arches flared by 50mm. And just how much less weight and how much more performance does the Bentley Continental Supersports have? Ditching the back seats and fitting lightweight fixed-rake fronts contributed massively to a 110kg weight reduction. Impressed? You’ll be less so when you hear that this whale still weighs 2240kg, over a tonne more than the Renault. Okay, that comparison is stupid, but you get the picture – this is still a grotesquely heavy car. Which only makes the rate at which can devour tarmac all the more gob smacking. The standard G...

This, ladies and gents, is the new £135,760 Bentley Continental GT, one of the stars of the December issue of CAR magazine. We were the world’s first car mag to drive the Mk2, on the stunning desert roads of Oman: here’s a quick first drive to whet your appetite, ahead of the magazine going on sale Wednesday 17 November. Bentley says that the Continental GT is a design icon and that this new model had to stay true to the original. And so it has. You might notice the crisper lines that flow precisely down the profile of the GT, the way the tops of the wings sweep downwards to meet the bonnet more aggressively and make the new and more upright grille seem wider and more imposing, but you need an old GT alongside before all the design tweaks really jump out at you. Bentley Continental GT (2011): the tech spec But it’s all new underneath, right? Well, not really. There’s still a twin turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 slung out ahead of the front axle and it still dr...

Bentley’s Continental Supersports Convertible takes the flex-fuel, high-performance Supersports specification and applies it to that sun-loving celebrity’s favourite, the Continental GTC convertible. Does the Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible retain the performance and dynamics gains of the coupe, or is this just a cosmetic exercise to attract fresh customers to the portly cabriolet? We sent Jethro Bovingdon to find out. Read on for our review of the Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible. Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible: why should I care? The Continental Supersports is, frankly, a stunning piece of kit. It’s absurdly heavy – especially for a ‘stripped-out’ lightweight – obscenely powerful, irresponsibly consumptive and yet somehow its magnificence washes away your scepticism without a trace. Even when somebody tells you it costs £182k. If someone hands you the keys to this car and you don’t let out a li...

Of all the Bentley cars, the Continental GTC may seem the model that adheres least to the company’s core values. Isn't it more of a Californian sun-drenched wafter, the frivolous, less masculine offering, rather than a British upper-class bruiser like the others? From the outside looking in, it’s a view many hold. But slide behind the wheel of the new 2011 Bentley Continental GTC and it is still very much everything a Bentley should be, and that means lashings of power, a pretty useful chassis and luxury slathered exquisitely about the place. Read on for CAR's full first drive review to find out more. Bentley GTC: the 2011 changes Perhaps the less eagle-eyed will struggle to spot the difference, but the new Conti GTC is sharper and less blobby than its predecessor. The long curves in the sheet metal have all been tightened and sharpened, giving this car altogether more intent. Watch one come roaring up behind you, its wide grilles sparkling in the sunshine and broad shoul...

Driving the new 205mph Bentley Continental GT Speed around Thruxton, Britain’s fastest racetrack: now that’s a day out you look forward to. After all, this fastest-ever (roadgoing) twin turbocharged, W12 Bentley has 616bhp, up from 567bhp the standard W12. It does the 0-62mph sprint in four seconds, and the lap record around the gentle rolling straights of Thruxton was set by Damon Hill, in a Williams in 1993 at an average speed of 147mph. I, however, maxed out in this particular prodigiously fast British flyer around Britain’s fastest circuit at 37mph, and even that was a bit hairy. Bloody, sodding, naffing snow. So every time somebody walks in your office and moans about struggling to get their Mondeo off their snowy drive and crashing through their neighbour’s porch, or how icy the work car park is and how they fell over and broke both ankles, send them this link and say: ‘Yeah, but you didn’t have a Conti GT Speed, a race track to yourself, and...

Driving a Bentley is an occasion: even in money-soaked London, there’s still a level of exclusivity in a Flying Spur, more so than the Bentley Continental GT. Yet if you had £150k, would you stump up for the big Bentley? For that princely sum, Bentley will give you a 5295mm-long saloon with all-wheel drive, a 616bhp 6.0-litre W12 – packing two turbochargers – that weighs 2475kg yet accelerates from 0-62mph in a mere 4.3seconds. The Flying Spur, which takes the now familiar four-headlamp front end and adds a new, Marmite-rear with its trapezoidal tail lamps, is stately, bold and turns heads, but we’re not so sure about the emperor’s new clothes. I’s an odd mix of curves and sharp edges around those 21-inch alloys, part of the Mulliner kit seen here, the top-spec Flying Spur. In the driver’s seat, look into the mirror and you can see the sharp-edged shoulder as you realise just how steep the rear windscreen is while ahead of you, the bonnet...

The new 2014 Bentley Flying Spur V8 is powered by its smallest engine yet, but surely it’s not downsizing to reduce running costs and avoid the London congestion fee? After all, if you can shell out £136,000 for a bold, imposing saloon that weighs two-and-a-half tonnes, you’re hardly likely to be too environmentally sensitive nor let a CO2 charge ruin your day. So why has the Bentley Flying Spur V8 been downsized? The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 has been fitted to the Flying Spur to attract not only new buyers to the brand, but also due to tax laws in foreign markets - particularly China, where taxes are higher on engines bigger than (you guessed it) 4.0 litres. China is Bentley’s second biggest market behind the US, but even in the States, since this V8 was introduced in the Continental GT last year, sales have been split evenly between it and the W12, with the V8 expected to take over as the top-seller in the coupe in 2014. Bentley expects the V8 Flying Spur to b...

Not much more than a year after its launch Bentley’s performance flagship has had a minor tickle, presumably with the aim of keeping its kudos-hungry clientele assured that they’ve got ‘the latest version’. The 2014 Continental GTC Speed squeezes 10bhp extra from its already humungously powerful 12-cylinder twin-turbo engine (now making 626bhp), and 17lb ft of extra torque to take its twist action to a Space-Shuttle-equalling 607lb ft. Given that the previous version was already torquey enough to push and pull Dreamliners around an airport apron we’d say these changes might not be detectable to a driver, even one taking the unlikely step of chopping in his 2013 Conti for this new one. Bentleys are meant to be sporty – is the GTC Speed a performer? It’s hellishly quick in a straight line, as you’d expect, knocking off the 0-60mph benchmark in just 4.1sec, surging to 100mph in 9.7 and, theoretically at least, going on to hit the double to...

It’s hard not to think that the Bentley Mulsanne Speed is for a person a bit like Augustus Gloop, Roald Dahl’s greedy nincompoop. For this hand-built paragon to lives filled with Golden Tickets now seems at the vanguard of gluttony: a standard 505bhp Mulsanne just not enough lavish sustenance? Then for about £23,000 more, why not tuck into a Speed version with 25bhp extra, some discreet badges on the flanks and a more oily-looking grille? On the surface, the exercise seems gratuitous. What do you get on the Bentley Mulsanne Speed (2015)? Like Gloop, each Speed is mollied and coddled to a degree beyond nth: 400 people take 298 hours to build it, the car is hand-polished with lamb’s wool for 12 hours before leaving the factory, there are 120 colour options to choose from (some with gold in them). But beneath the heavily buffed surface something more is stirring. Alongside that fairly insignificant power increase, an additional swell of torque has been hubbled an...

The Bentley Hunaudieres prototype was launched at the 1999 Geneva motorshow. The Hunaudieres, which was based on a modified Lamborghini Diablo VT chassis was powered by a W16 Volkswagen engine making 620 bhp driving all four wheels. The Hunaudieres concept was intended to test the water to see how close to an all out sports car Bentley could feasibly create, without compromising the brand's identity. The Hunaudieres was Bentley's first go at a modern sports car The awkward 'Hunaudieres' name pays homage to the famous straight on the Le Mans Circuit. It was here that the legend of Bentley was born with five wins at the track in the 1920's. Sir Tim Birkin in his 4.5 litre 'Blower' Bentley, undertook a risky overtaking of Rudolf Carraciola's Mercedes SSK at 125mph with one wheel on the grass down the Hunaudières straight.

Opulent. Decadent. Luxuriant. All are apt descriptors for the Flying Spur, a full-size sedan built to Bentley's highest standards of craftsmanship and elegance. Closely related to the Continental range of coupes and convertibles, the Flying Spur packs extravagant power along with boatloads of old-fashioned British luxury. Recent Changes For the latest model year, the Flying Spur gains a new entry-level twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8. Overview It may not be the largest, most expensive sedan in Bentley's lineup - that distinction belongs to the Mulsanne - but few buyers are likely to find the Flying Spur lacking in size or sumptuousness. Outside, a formal roofline and traditional Bentley radiator grille give the Flying Spur a regal air, while raised rear hips, vertical taillights and upswept character lines add a hint of athleticism that's more than backed up by what lurks under the long hood. Although technically the Flying Spur's base motor, the new twin-turbochar...

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 (10...

The 2012 Bentley EXP 9 F was a design proposal for a third Bentley model to sit alongside the Mulsanneand Continentalranges. Clearly it’s an SUV, and while SUV’s aren’t generally known for their poise and grace, Bentley’s designers have plumbed new depths of bad taste when styling the EXP 9 F concept. Bentley say the EXP 9 F was a dream project for their designers. But what they’ve created is a nightmare. It reeks of the sort of miss-matched contours and lines typical of many keen-but-naive first year automotive design students. The front grille and headlight arrangement are in keeping with the rest of the Bentley range. But their translation into an SUV body has been grossly misjudged. Bentley have taken the idea of the famous Blower Bentley’s of the late 1920s and early 1930s, and used that inspiration to design a number of features, including the day-time running lamp apertures which also act as the charge cooler air intakes for the engine. The en...

The Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 was a concept car designed to break new territory for Bentley in terms of design, as well as provide a preview of the company's ideas for the future. The last time Bentley unveiled anything this exciting was back in 1999 with the Bentley Hunaudieresconcept. Unlike previous Bentley coupes, the EXP 10 Speed 6 is astrict two-seater, there are no rear seats whatsoever. This means the car is sportier in its dimensions and overall character than previous vehicles like the Continental GT. However despite its massively updated style and overall design, the car Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 is immediately recognizable as belonging to the British marque. Especially from the front where the rectangular grille is flanked by the dual round(ish) headlights. From the side the car's origins are a little harder to guess, but those sharply chiseled rear arches give the game away. The interior of the conceptis just as stunning as the exterior. There is an entire herd's ...

The Bentley State Limousine is an official state car created by Bentley for Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002. Description The vehicle's twin-turbocharged, 6.75-litre V8 engine has been modified from Bentley's Arnage R version to produce 400 hp (300 kW) and 616 lb·ft (835 N·m) of torque. Its maximum speed is 130 mph (210 km/h). Near Buckingham Palace. Hield Brothers lambswool sateen cloth seen in the interior of the State Limousine. The State Limousine is 83.0 cm (2.723 ft) longer than a standard Bentley Arnage, 25.5 cm (10.0 in) taller, and 6.8 cm (2.7 in) wider. It is equipped with broad coach doors that open to the rear almost 90 degrees. Opaque panels over the backlight of the car can be installed for either added privacy or removed for added visibility of its passengers. For protection of its occupants, the bodywork and glass are armoured, the cabin can be sealed air-tight in case of gas attack and is also blast-resistant, and the tyres...

The Bentley Arnage was a large luxury car produced by Bentley Motors in Crewe, England from 1998 to 2009. The Arnage, and its Rolls-Royce-branded sibling, the Silver Seraph, were introduced in the Spring of 1998, and were the first entirely new designs for the two marques since 1980. Another break from the past was to be found under the bonnet, for decades home to the same 6.75 litre V8 engine, a powerplant which could trace its roots back to the 1950s. The new Arnage was to be powered by a BMW V8 engine, with Cosworth-engineered twin-turbo installation, and the Seraph was to employ a BMW V12 engine. The Arnage is over 5.4 meters (212 in) long, 1.9 metres (75 in) wide, and has a kerb weight of more than 2.5 metric tonnes. For a brief period it was the most powerful and fastest four-door saloon on the market. In September 2008, Bentley announced that production of the model would cease during 2009.

Overview: As a favorite of rappers, superstar athletes, and million- and billionaires, the Continental has something for everyone with Louis Vuitton valises full of cash. Offered as a four-seat coupe or convertible, you have a choice of three twin-turbo engines: There is a 500-hp V-8, a 521-hp V-8 S, and a 616-hp W-12; all feature an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. Prefer your Conti GT in an ultra-performance version? Check out the GT3-R coupe with its 592-hp V-8; only 300 will be sold. SPECIFICATIONS VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, four-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe BASE PRICE: $339,725 ENGINE TYPE: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve 4.0-liter V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection Displacement: 244 cu in, 3993 cc Power: 592 hp @ 6000 rpm Torque: 553 lb-ft @ 1700 rpm TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode DIMENSIONS: Wheelbase: 108.1 in Length: 189.2 in Width: 76.5 in Height: 55.3 in Curb weight (C/D est): 4900...

The Mulsanne is a thoroughly modern full-size sedan that captures the essence of the Bentley marque. It is elegant yet distinctly sporting in character, delivering effortless performance while within its sumptuous cabin, advanced technology sits discreetly with handcrafted luxury. Recent Changes For the latest model year, the Mulsanne lineup has been expanded with a 530-horsepower model dubbed Mulsanne Speed. SPECS Exterior Length: 219.5 " Body width: 75.8 " Body height: 59.9 " Wheelbase: 128.6 " Curb: 5,919 lbs. Gross weight: 7,055 lbs. Interior Front head room: 40 " Rear head room: 38 " Front leg room: 41.9 " Rear leg room: 42.9 " Luggage capacity: 15.6 cu.ft. Maximum cargo capacity: 15.6 cu.ft. Standard seating: 5 Performance Base engine size: 6.8 liters Base engine type: V-8 Horsepower: 505 hp Horsepower rpm: 4,200 Torque: 752 lb-ft. Torque rpm: 1,750 Drive type: rear-wheel Turning radius: 20.6 '' Fuel Fue...