Stylish and powerful, the new Bentley Azure T is the world's most elegant convertible and destined to become a future classic. With unique Bentley 'T' styling cues reinforcing its sporting stance, the 500bhp Azure T delivers driver-focused performance with the ability to transport four adults in first-class, open-top luxury. The new Azure T, specified with the high performance version of Crewe's iconic 6 litre V8 engine, is the latest in a line of Bentley models to bear the 'T' legend. The 1996 Continental coupe was the first modern Bentley 'T', followed in 2002 by the Arnage T, both flagship models with a distinctive sporting character and thunderous performance. The Azure's already striking form is now enhanced by 20-inch 5-spoke wheels and tyres, 'Le Mans' front wing vents, dark tint matrix grille and a sculpted, retractable Flying 'B' mascot. For the performance-oriented Azure T, the twin-turbocharged V8 engine produces 500bhp and 1000 Nm of torque an 11 per cent increase in power and a 14 per cent increase in torque over its 450bhp/875 Nm Azure stable mate. The famous Bentley wave of torque is even more prodigious than before and performance is significantly raised with a top speed of 179 mph (288 km/h) and a 0-60 mph time of just 5.2 seconds (0-100 km/h in 5.5 sec).  read more »

(from Bentley Press Release) A Bentley Motors apprentice team has won a special Spirit of Greenpower award for its performance in the Greenpower Corporate Challenge which took place at Goodwood race circuit yesterday. The Bentley apprentice team designed, engineered and built the electric powered car which they entered into the Greenpower Challenge as well as a season of F24+ racing. The Bentley Greenpower car is called Continental DC (Direct Current) and runs off a 24-volt motor supplied by two 12-volt batteries. Designed for lightness and maximum power efficiency the one-seater Continental DC has a carbon fibre chassis and low resistance tyres.  read more »

(from Project Kahn Press Release) Bentley Continental GTS Black Edition Project Kahn is proud to announce the launch of the new Bentley Continental GTS Black Edition. The B lack Edition has an eight-piece body consisting of a three piece rear valance, two side skirts, a two piece front valance and a rear boot spoiler. This kit has been developed by our Project Kahn design team and has undergone many hours of testing not only to ensure safety but also to ensure that a perfect fit is achieved for each car.  read more »

It's hard to go wrong these days if you're willing to spend well in excess of $100,000 on a luxury sedan. Take cars like the Rolls-Royce Phantom , Maybach 57 and Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG for a spin and you'll find that there's really not a bad one in the bunch. This poses a challenge for luxury automakers, as it's difficult to stand out in such impressive company. Nonetheless, with the assistance of parent company Volkswagen, the 2008 Bentley Continental Flying Spur pulls it off, offering up a distinctive combination of S65-like performance along with enough classic British luxury to rival the more sedate Phantom and Maybach.  read more »

Black Tie Gala, Food, Booze, The New Audi A4 and Miss America After a very long week in the office, I was looking forward to a relaxing Friday night with my girlfriend. I had been talking to a few of my co-workers and one of them mentioned they were going to the Philadelphia Auto Show's Black Tie Gala event that evening. Having lived in the area for the last couple of years, it was something I always wanted to do. The reason I hadn't gone in the past is because the price tag for the event was rather steep - $200 for the evening. Seemingly every year the price had gone up, and for whatever reason I just dealt with general admission to the venue. Over the past few years I'd grown weary of car shows being mobbed by people to the point where you really couldn't get a good look at anything for more than a few seconds, as people would shuffle you out of the way for their 10 second chance to glimpse an exotic auto. Taking a picture was impossible as well, because even if you had enough space to take one someone would walk into your path. This brings me to another point: anything really worth looking at is completely roped off from the general public. I left the office that day and I told my co-worker to let me know how the event west, as I had explained to him (and now to you) my gripes with past auto shows. On the way home I was enjoying the fact that the week was over and looking forward to my vacation the following week. I then received a text message from my girlfriend and based on an unforeseen family obligation my Friday night suddenly freed up completely. As luck would have it I was still able to get my hands on a last minute ticket, so I drove home to get suited up for a fun night ahead. Not wanting to leave my S4 at the mercy of the local parking lot attendants I wisely took the train to the Philadelphia convention center. I also didn't realize the event would also include an open bar for the night. In retrospect it was quite fortunate that I took the train. I arrived at the event and I was one of the first few people in the door at 7pm on the dot. I figured that the allotted four hours would provide plenty of opportunity to see everything.  read more »

If the current Bugatti Veyron and its 1001 HP quad-turbo W16 just aren't doing it for you anymore, fear not, for Bugatti may be developing a high-end successor, and canning plans for a more-affordable model. In addition to an even more extreme version of the current hypercar, known to some as the "Veyron GT," which will come at the end of the Veyron's production run, a second saloon model may be launched to rival Rolls-Royce. In a recent interview Autocar had with Franz-Josef Paefgen, the Bugatti boss said: We will be staying on top of everybody else and we will not be producing a smaller, or cheaper car and we will not be moving volumes up. Bugatti customers are very extreme people, It may seem like a stupid move to just keep making gas-guzzling ultra-luxury cars, but maybe the people Bugatti plan on selling cars to are the type that benefit from rising oil prices. Either way, we'll also be on the lookout for a Bugatti based loosely on the next Bentley Arnage, which is due in 2012. As for that extreme "Veyron GT?" Top Bugatti engineer, Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, said: "We can go to 1106 lb-ft of torque and we currently have [922 lb-ft] - and with a turbocharged engine, engineers are always working on getting higher power." Wow.  read more »

Let's just get this out of the way up front so you can come back later: Bentley brought no new luxurious nor mega-costly glistening sheet metal hand-rubbed to a burnished sheen by ambidextrous master craft-rubbers at their lush production palace factory in Crewe, England. Instead, at this New York Auto Show they touted their new partnership with an atmospheric molecule of fraught reputation: CO2. They thoughtfully provided me with a 17-page outline of how they're going to change the relationship between high-performance 12-cylinder engines and global warming. I'm halfway through it and will return later with a summary. But until then, let's talk about those hawt English accents. Oh, yes, the same damn thing happened at the Rolls-Royce press conference at the Detroit Auto Show. A highly competent looking man of British descent stood up and said things, not new things, but things that were full of confidence and self-assurance. With BBC-caliber diction. Nice. Bentley has three vehicles here in the City That Never Sleeps but would probably be perfectly happy to sleep in a Bentley, if the opportunity arose. We saw the GT Speed, the friskily monikered Continental Flying Spur, which ought to fly with a V12 under its aubergine hood, and the Bentley Broadlands cou-pay, in opalescent pearl. Yes, they are all gloriously beautiful and sumptuously appointed. However, according the company, beauty plus brawn does not necessarily satisfy all the needs of the finicky Bentley customer. No, the members of that elevated tax bracket (or lack thereof, Monaco Bentley owners!) want an alternative-fuel strategy from the brand. And the brand does not intend to disappoint. "The consequences of climate change cannot be ignored," intoned Stuart McCullough, Bentley board member and master of sales and marketing. I'll break it down for you and see if it makes sense. Seventeen lousy pages--how long can it take?  read more »

(from Mansory Press Release) MANSORY Stallone an exquisite power pack based on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano As a specialist for customisation of Aston Martin, Bentley and Rolls Royce automobiles, MANSORY has long been an institution. Now, the company from Brand in Bavaria has tackled the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano . With luxurious as well as sporty modifications, MANSORY proves that the company also has a clear understanding of customising Italian super sports cars. Especially light body components made of carbon, a powerful increase to the engine performance and an interior covered with the finest ostrich leather fulfil the car desires of the exclusive clientele.  read more »

When car designs begin to stagnate, designers go back in time for inspiration, in the case of Arturo Alonso from Bentley Boys USA, he has gone back to the sixties, which has led him to this: The Bentley Boys S3 .  read more »