Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Bentley Brooklands

Bentleys and buckets of torque go hand-in-hand. Therefore, it might make some sense for the German-owned British luxury marque to consider one of the VW Group's big, powerful turbodiesels for one of its upcoming models. Not so fast, says Bentley. It has specifically polled its customer base -- made up mostly of Americans and Asians -- to determine if there's any interest in an oil-burning Bentley. Apparently, there isn't. Instead, the luxo-barge company will focus on biofuels in an effort to lower the fuel consumption and emissions of a numbers of its models. As a matter of fact, the first flex-fuel engine from the Flying B is expected to debut in 2009 and Franz-Josef Paefgen, Bentley's Chief Executive, says that all of its models will be capable of running on biofuels by 2012 as part of its plan to go British Racing green.

[Source: Autocar]

Click image for a high-res gallery of the Bentley Continental GTC

Gaudy. Overstyled. Ostentatious. Attention-hungry. These are words that can be used to describe any number of high-end, six-figure automobiles with pedigreed names and gobs of power. Often, those credentials are accompanied by trademark styling that ranges from the merely adventurous to the outright extreme. That particular branch of motoring is not ideal for everyone, however. Some prefer elegance to envelope pushing; understatement to "Look at me!" Thankfully, elegance and power are not mutually exclusive. Bentley, you see, has just about perfected the art of merging the two. Tastefully beautiful, the Bentley Continental GTC draws as many stares as cars designed to be attention magnets. With 6.0 liters, 12 cylinders, and 552 twin-turbocharged horses underhood, it's no shrinking violet, either. That's the best part, you see. When asked, the Bentley sizes up all comers, and then it blows their doors off -- with panache.


All photos Copyright ©2007 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc.

Click image for high-res gallery

Over in Frankfurt, MANSORY has its latest creation on display. The Continental GTC-based LeMANSORY Convertible is one of Bentley's delectable ragtops that's been subsequently outfitted with the Le MANSORY body and tuning package. Sadly, the widebody kit obscures the GTC's classy art-deco lines in the name of giving the car a racier look. Black wheels and grille inserts contrast to the bright white bodywork, and the interior is transformed by a retina-scorching white-and-red full leather/Alcantara package. That color scheme is carried into the engine compartment, where the modifications are more to our liking.

The MANSORY performance kit ups the twin-turbo W12's output from 552 hp to a stout 641 horses @ 6100 RPM and a tire-destroying 575 lb-ft of torque at just 1600 rpm. As you might imagine, the performance numbers reflect the added punch. 0-60 happens in 4.4 seconds and the car's claimed top speed is 205 mph. A Brembo brake upgrade adds the required stopping power, and a new exhaust system that exhales via quad ports lets the neighbors know about the evil underhood. Only 24 LeMANSORY kits will be sold, so if you don't like it, don't worry. Chances are you'll never see one in the wild anyway.

MANSORY's full press release is pasted after the jump.

[Source: MANSORY via Motor Authority]

Saturday, September 9 was a beautiful day in southern Connecticut. The skies were clear and the air was warm. Perfect convertible weather, actually, so it was fitting that Miller Motorcars Bentley Greenwich was playing host to the new Continental GTC for the day. If the light blue convertible looks familiar, it should. This is the same car that Bentley Chairman/CEO Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen unveiled at this year's New York International Auto Show. Since then, it has been moving around the country appearing at various events ranging from polo matches to Pebble Beach.

It's also been visiting Bentley showrooms to generate customer interest, something there seems to be no shortage of. The Bentley, sparkling in the afternoon sun, was like a tractor beam drawing interested parties into the parking lot. Every face that approached the car wore a smile, whether it belonged to a dreamer living a Lotto fantasy in his mind or a patron who was on a first-name basis with the dealer staff. Even the cars that didn't pull in for a closer look slowed down as they drove by.

The GTC is that kind of car: gorgeous inside and out. You see it. You smile. You want it.

(Keep reading after the jump and check out lots more photos)

Bentley announced that it has started building the new Continental GTC at its Crewe facility this week. The GTC is the gorgeous and spectacular droptop version of the company's well-received Continental GT coupe. The open-air 2+2 is powered by a 552-horsepower twin-turbo W12 -- a powerplant up to the task of ruining the expertly-coiffed hairdos of the Conti's driver and passengers. It also features all-wheel-drive, an air suspension, and Bentley's typically exquisite attention to detail inside the cabin.

Introduced in April at the New York International Auto Show, the first Continental GTCs will be delivered to UK customers at the end of this month. The GTC rounds out the Continental lineup, which already includes the Continental GT coupe and the Continental Flying Spur sedan.

Related Posts:

• Bentley announces Continental GTC drop-top
• Bentley knows how to party
• New York Auto Show: Bentley drops top on 2007 Continental GTC

(Press release after the jump)

[Source: Bentley Motors]