Bentley has produced a short film over just over 3 minutes in conjunction of the Bentley Mulsanne’s launch. The contents are quite obviously aimed at letting us know how much handwork and attention goes into producing one, but in reality, I’m really not feeling it because of the unappealing way it looks, especially at the front with its overcomplicated yet oddly simple round lights.

Oh by the way, did you notice how low the redline is on the Mulsanne’s engine? It’s very typical of a diesel but this baby’s running a twin-turbocharged V8 petrol! I’m pretty sure the 6.75 liter motor can rev higher than that, but with 512 PS and 1,020Nm of torque it probably really doesn’t need to.

Watch the short film after the jump.

Related Posts:
New Bentley Mulsanne – full details and specifications

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:20:49 +0800.

We now have more details and shots of the new Bentley Mulsanne, adding on to the exterior shots we’ve already seen when it was unveiled at Pebble Beach. The Mulsanne was previously known as the New Grand Bentley when it was being teased and building one takes nine weeks of extensive work.

There are acres and acres of wood in the interior, bordering on excessive but you can get away with this if you use real wood instead of the fake stuff. The wood surrounds the entire interior as a ‘ring of wood’.

You can’t just throw wood at every possible interior panel and have it look expensive. There’s a certain art to it – material design, smell, colour harmony, they all play a part in whether the human brain perceives something as luxurious.

Those seats look really comfortable and can be wrapped with a virtually unlimited selection of leather shades. There are 24 standard colours, but you can also customise this, so don’t be surprised if someone like Ms Hilton orders a pink Bentley with pink leather. The steering wheel itself takes 15 hours to hand-stitch, and this gets as long as 45 hours if the customer wants cross-stitching.

Every kind of in-car entertainment that you could potentially want is there – a 14 speaker premium audio system (Naim 20-speaker system optional), 6-CD changer, 40 GB drive, 8 inch LCD (stored behind an electrically operated veneered door), etc.

Under the hood is a 6.75 liter V8 engine producing 512 PS and a massive 1020 Nm of torque, which peaks at a very low 1,800rpm. Yes, the car is large and heavy, but imagine 4 digits of torque kicking in at just over idle? The engine is mated to a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission, likely to be similiar to the unit in the Ghost and the 760Li. For the first time in a Bentley, there are steering wheel mounted gearshift controls.

Look after the jump for hi-res photos of the Mulsanne.

Engine
Type: Twin-turbocharged V8
Installation: Front, longitudinal, rear-wheel drive
Construction: Alloy heads and block
Capacity: 6750cc
Power: 512PS / 505bhp / 377kW
Torque: 1020Nm / 752 lb ft

Transmission
Type: Rear-wheel-drive
Gearbox: ZF 8-Speed automatic

Body & Chassis
Length: 5562mm (219.49in)
Width: 1926mm (75.80in)
Height: 1526mm (60.01in)
Wheelbase: 3266mm (128.60in)
Front Track: 1605mm (63.20in)
Rear Track: 1651mm (65.00in)
Wheels / tyres (standard): 9J x 20in. with 265/45 ZR 20 tyres
(option): 9J x 21in. with 265/40 ZR 21 tyres

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:20:49 +0800.

The new Bentley Mulsanne (pronounced mull-SAHN) will be the luxury carmaker’s star exhibit during the Frankfurt Show in September but they’ve already unveiled it to the public at the Pebble Beach Concourse, where it is likely that many of its potential owners are attending. After all, it is only the very rich who are able to restore rare classic cars to the pristine conditions that you can find at the Concourse.

The Bentley Mulsanne had been heralded as the “New Grand Bentley” in a teaser campaign leading up to this unveiling, and is inspired by the 1930s Bentley 8-litre. For now we only know what the Mulsanne looks like, but for whats under the hood as well as any other trickeries that Bentley have up their sleeves, we’ll have to wait for the Frankfurt show. Too bad they didn’t have anything up their sleeves with the design, as I feel it isn’t particularly interesting.

The Mulsanne will replace the Arnage as Bentley’s ultimate flagship. We have no photos of the interior yet thus far but Bentley says the interior is hand-crafted and takes a total of 40 labour hours to produce. They’re planning to sell about 700 units this year.

There is a circuit called the Circuit de la Sarthe in France used in the sports car endurance race 24 Hours of Le Mans. The road features the long straight Ligne Droite des Hunaudières leading to Mulsanne, making a tight right hand turn before the entrance of the village itself. The famous straightaway is often called the Mulsanne Straight, and the original Bentley Mulsanne that was launched in 1980 was named after this.

Look after the jump for more hi-res photos.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:20:49 +0800.

Bentley has released this teaser image and video of a new car they call a “Grand Bentley”. Their press release includes a quote from what they say is Bentley’s first customer back in October 1921. “The reason I bought a Bentley was because of its exceptional performance in all respects on the road. Such features…leave nothing to be desired,” said Noel Van Raalte.

The new Grand Bentley has yet to be named but it will replace the flagship Arnage and will be, in their own words, “the epitome of Bentley”. Hopefully the all-new car will also feature an all-new engine, putting the 50 year old 6.75 liter two valve per cylinder pushrod V8 first introduced in the 1959 S2 Continental as a 6.23 liter to rest.

In its latest incarnation, the old engine puts out 530 horses and 1050Nm of torque through the help of turbocharging and intercooling. But that 1050Nm kicks in at a mid-range 3,250rpm which is not very impressive. The Arnage’s sibling the Continental is powered by a more modern engine, a Volkswagen W12.

Watch the teaser video after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:20:49 +0800.

Thanks to Bentley’s marriage to Audi, a number of components from the German auto maker including diesel power plants will make way into Bentley’s vehicles across the Atlantic. First up, with the new Continental, a number of components including the entire front suspension system will be carried over from the Audi A8.

With Dirk van Braeckel working on the design, the new Continental would also be powered by a diesel power plant that would be good for 374HP, apart from a number of petrol powered W12 engines such as a 580HP unit and a 650HP unit. The new Continental is expected to arrive in sometime in 2011.

The Arnage on the other hand is expected to feature a V12 turbo-diesel carried over from the Audi Q7 TDI which is good for 500HP and an awesome 1000Nm of torque! I must say, that this marriage is a match made in heaven!

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:20:49 +0800.

British-based Bentley has launched the Continental Supersports at the motor show in Geneva, which is its fastest and most powerful vehicle yet, and to add more spice, the Supersports’ W12 power plant is able to consume petrol as well as biofuel or ethanol (E85).

Mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission with Quickshift that cuts shift times by as much as 50% and enables double downshifts, the engine is fitted with sensors that monitor the petrol/biofuel mixture ratio, which then supplies data to the ECU to ensure that peak performance is always maintained, which is rated at 621HP and a remarkable 800Nm of torque. Please click here to learn more about the Bentley Continental Supersports and to view an image gallery.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:20:49 +0800.

Bentley will join the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland next week with the Bentley Continental Supersports, which is actually the most powerful and fastest Bentley ever. With a 6.0 liter twin turbocharged W12 under the hood, the new Bentley is capable of 329 km/h in terms of top speed and can sprint to the 100 km/h mark in just 3.7 seconds, thanks to a total of 621 ground cracking horse power and a remarkable 800Nm of torque which is achieved between 1,700 and 5600 revs. 1,700 revs!

That’s not all folks, the power plant which is mated to a revised ZF 6HP26 6 speed automatic transmission with ‘Quickshift’ system that cuts shift times by 50% and enables double downshifts, can be fueled with a combination of petrol and biofuel or ethanol (E85)! This brings us to the next question; will you lose power? Well, that answer is no actually.

According to the British auto maker, the engine is fitted with sensors that monitor how much gasoline and/or ethanol is being used which will allow the ECU to make sure power and torque remain constant no matter what the ratio of fuel mixture is. Fueling the 2-seater with biofuel can help reduce emissions by 70% which is a huge margin. Bentley calls this petrol/biofuel mixture system as FlexFuel.

The all wheel drive coupe with 40:60 rear biased split features up-rated front suspension with aluminium forward levers, stiffer bushes together with re-tuned anti roll bar and Servotronic steering for sharper turn-in, revised Continuous Damping Control (CDC), Advanced ESP, Standard-fit carbon-ceramic brakes, larger twin elliptical exhaust tailpipes and rear valance with discreet vertical divider and so on.

The interior is finished in a combination of Alcantara, carbon fiber and ‘Soft Touch’ leather’ with choice of Single Tone and Duo Tone combination. Fitted with unique lightweight, 20-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels, the Bentley Supersports is a crucial 110 kilograms lighter than the latest Continental GT Speed which was launched at the Detroit Motor Show. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:20:49 +0800.

Bentley gives us few details with this preview of its Geneva 2009 show car. All we know is that Bentley has nicknamed it the “Extreme Bentley” it will be Bentley’s fastest and most powerful production car around, and it will also run on biofuel – likely bio-ethanol. Other than the single image above, they’ve also released a teaser video that has other shots of the car – one that shows an airflow grille and another of the engine bay that clearly shows 12 intake tracts, which means a Bentley W12 engine. Given that ethanol generally has a higher octane rating than petrol, you can have more aggressive tuning made possible by the higher knock resistance, and the result is more power. Look after the jump for the teaser video and screenshots of the Bentley teaser video.

Video: Extreme Bentley Teaser

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:20:49 +0800.

This is a more powerful version of Bentley’s answer to the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe – the Bentley Azure T. The letter T in the name means power is up from the Azure’s 450 horses to a more potent 500 horsepower, and torque is also up from 875Nm to a wholesome tyre-shredding 1000Nm! Thanks to the more powerful engine (a 6.75 liter twin-turbo V8), this huge beast goes to 100km/h in 5.5 seconds.

To match up with the Azure T’s sportier intentions (compared to the Azure), the convertible gets large 20 inch 5-spoke alloy wheels wrapped with grippy Pirelli P-Zero tyres in 255/40ZR20 size. There is an optional more powerful brake system made with carbon/silicon carbide. The uprated cross-drilled ventilated discs measure 420×40mm at the front and 356×28mm at the rear, gripped by 8-pot calipers.

Of course, if you’re ever sick of the V8’s soundtrack or the wind rustling past you when the top is down, you can just switch on the ‘Naim for Bentley’ premium audio system featuring 10 speakers, a dual channel sub-woofer and an 1100 Watt amplifier that has ight individual Digital Signal Processor (DSP) modes.

The Azure T will make its debut at the LA Motor Show sometime later this month. Look for a full photo gallery after the jump.

PHOTO GALLERY: Bentley Azure T
Click thumbnails to view high resolution photo

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:20:49 +0800.

Naza World is now selling the Bentley Continental GT with a price tag starting from RM1 million upwards. The Continental GT is a 2-door Grand Tourer largely based on the Volkswagen D platform of which underpins the Volkswagen Phaeton and the Audi A8, except that like the Phaeton it uses conventional steel body panels instead of the A8’s aluminium space frame.

Under the hood is a massive 6.0 liter twin turbocharged W12 engine, producing 552 horsepower at 6,100rpm and 650Nm of torque from a low 1,600rpm. The suspension uses double wishbones at the front and a multi-link setup at the rear with air springs.

Despite a 2,385kg weight, the engine’s power and torque together with an all-wheel drive system manage to propel the large GT coupe to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds, on to a top speed of 318km/h.

Naza World is selling the Continental GT with an extended warranty of up to 3 years. More photos of the Bentley Continental GT after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:20:49 +0800.

Bentley is considering expanding it’s engine line-up to something more than the current petrol guzzlers, either hybrids or turbodiesels. I personally think the Volkswagen Group’s V12 TDI turbodiesel found in the Audi Q7 is perfect for usage in a Bentley, or perhaps the V10 TDI from the top of the line oil burner Touareg, but then that’s just me. Shouldn’t be an issue for Volkswagen to supply it to Bentley, considering they own Bentley.

Just a recap, the V12 twin turbodiesel in the Q7 makes over 500 horsepower (510 to be exact) and pushes out a massive 1,000Nm of torque from as low as 1,750rpm. Yes, you read right. A thousand newton meters. From an engine speed just over idle. Yet fuel consumption is rated at 20mpg, or 11.9 liters per 100 kilometers, hardly anything at Prius-levels, but considering the amount of power it makes, I would like one please!

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:20:49 +0800.

This is the world’s most exclusive coupe. Only 550 units will be built. Not exactly the most beautiful thing around, however that Bentley Badge on it carries an ultra-premium. This is the Bentley Brooklands Coupe, which Bentley unveiled at Geneva 2007.

The name Brooklands pays a tribute to the immortal “Bentley Boys” on the famous Brooklands racetrack in the 1920s. The classic design cues were also meant to reflect the era.

Associating the Bentley Brooklands Coupe with the racetrack is nothing mismatched though, as this Bentley coupe features the most powerful V8 engine ever Crewe-built, sporting 530bhp and 1050Nm of torque from it’s 6.75 liters of displacement, thanks to twin turbocharging.

This is mated to a ZF 6-speed autonmatick with a sophisticated quick-locking torque converter, with semi-automatic manual gear selection.

More photos after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:20:49 +0800.