Gallery: Bentley Arnage Final Series

REPORT: Next Bentley Arnage to feature Audi turbo-diesel originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Bentleys are known, among other things, for their train-like torque delivery. But while Bentley has toyed with the idea of an oil-burning engine for its big saloons, the idea was ultimately rejected by the luxury automaker due to low market interest. However, Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Bentley's parent Volkswagen Group, has now suggested that diesel engines could make it under the Flying B bonnet after all.

Although previous reports placed one of the group's big V10 or V12 turbodiesels in a potential Bentley model, Winterkorn suggests something decidedly more compact. Namely, a twin-turbo version of the company's 3.0-liter TDI V6, currently under development for sister-company Audi's range-topping new A8. That may be a far cry from the Jurassic-era 6.75-liter V8 pictured above and currently found in the Arnage/Azure/Brooklands or the twin-turbo W12 in the Continental range, but Winterkorn appears more eager to lead the market than follow it.

[Source: AutoCar via AutoblogGreen]

On Again, Off Again: Winterkorn suggests Bentley diesel originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Click the Bentley Brooklands' 6.75-liter V12 to view in our hi-res image gallery.

Of all the premium brands to go diesel, Bentley seems the most logical. Its vehicles are already the closest things to locomotives and yachts on four wheels, guzzling massive quantities of gasoline by the block. And as Marketing Director Adrian Hallmark pointed out in a recent interview with AutoTelegraaf, Bentley customers demand torquey, low-revving engines. Not to mention that Bentley is under the tutelage of Audi, which has cultivated for itself a pioneering image in modern diesel technology.

Although Hallmark, in a very un-"Hallmark Moment", claims customer demand isn't there yet for a diesel Bentley, reports suggest that Crewe is considering picking the V10 or V12 TDI out of the Volkswagen Group parts bin. However, Hallmark says that neither of these engines could fit into the Continental's engine bay. The Arnage/Azure/Brooklands range could, however, make a suitable starting point for Bentley's shift to burning the midnight oil.

Gallery: Bentley Brooklands

Striking Oil: Bentley could go turbo diesel originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.