Autoblog

Click image for a hi-res gallery of our Autoblog Garage Continental GTC

2007 was good to the folks in Crewe, as Bentley Motors had its best year ever. (What, no VH1 special?) For the first time, the automaker surpassed the 10,000 mark in terms of vehicles sold -- a tenfold increase over where it stood just five years ago. Both Arnage and Continental family sales were up -- 45-percent for the former, thanks to the arrival of the new Azure, and 5-percent for the latter with the GTC leading the way. The record-high sales led to new high points for both net revenue (€1.37 billion) and operating profit (€155 million). This level of volume is pretty much where the automaker would like to settle going forward, as it lets Bentley stay exclusive while still returning a profit. Us? We're just trying to figure out a way to tap into the joys of ownership ourselves. Follow the jump for Bentley's full press release and some assorted eye candy.

[Source: Bentley Motors]

Click on the image above to view our 47-image high-resolution gallery

It's been several years since the boys at Bentley had a full-size – and we mean full-size – luxury coupe to top off its range of traditional offerings to the well-heeled, and with the official unveiling of the new Bentley Brooklands they've done it in grand style. Superseding the Continental line of coupe, cabrio and sedan, the Brooklands joins the Arnage and Azure to round out Bentley's most exclusive product range.

We were the first to bring you a gallery of images as they hit the net, but it's hard to get your head around just how big this behemoth really is without witnessing the hand-crafted two-door limousine in person. Suffice it to say that it's fitting they named the Brooklands after a tract of land: it's large enough to be classified as a territory unto itself, and with 775 lb-ft of torque it's got enough grunt to uproot anything on it.

You'll find the press release after the jump, and our updated high-resolution image gallery below, complete with live shots from Geneva.

British buff mag CAR has posted the first photo of the Geneva-bound Bentley Havana coupe. This fixed-roof version of the Azure convertible will have big power coming from the twin-turbo V8 under its substantial hood. Figure 450 ponies and an asphalt-damaging 675 ft-lbs of torque and you've got the idea. As for the rest, what do you expect? Its a Bentley, so figure on an interior that's nicer than some homes with a sticker price to match.

The Havana (no word on if that name will carry through to production) will round out Bentley's offerings, giving the automaker a coupe/convertible/sedan showroom presence for both its car lines. It's been a while since the boys from Crewe had a full-sized coupe, so this is one car we're really looking forward to checking out next year in Geneva.

[Source: Georg Kacher, CAR]