Autoblog

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

As the youngest of three brothers, I'm used to hand-me-downs. Hand-me down toys, hand-me-down clothes, and yes, even hand-me-down cars. Perhaps this explains when a vehicle arrives in the Autoblog Garage with over 8,000 journalist-driven miles on its odometer (as most do), I don't mind. Though the scars of past judgments are often plain to see, we're happy enough to be reviewing these vehicles at all.

Last Wednesday I stepped off a plane at Newark Liberty International Airport and into a 2009 Bentley Brooklands. My mission was to drive it some 550 miles to Cleveland, OH where it would be picked up and driven back to Bentley's North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, MI. When I got in, the odometer read 285 miles... total. I realized then that this was no hand-me-down review vehicle. Having been parked in Bentley's display at the 2008 New York Auto Show for the past three weeks, this Brooklands was taking its maiden voyage on U.S. soil with me at the helm.


Photos Copyright ©2008 John Neff / Weblogs, Inc.

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]

Exactly five score years ago, 200,000 tons of gravel and cement were arranged in a 2.75 mile, high-banked, egg-shaped loop in the English countryside. The land was was called Brooklands, and the track laid on it -- the first purpose-built race track in the world -- would share the same name. The speed limit throughout the land at the time was 20 mph, and racing on public roads outside of things like hillclimbs was forbidden. When Brooklands was completed, in June of 1907, there was a place where drivers could -- and did -- go faster than 100 mph.

At Pebble Beach this year, there were some of the greatest racers that Brooklands has ever known, from the world record holding Napier-Railton pictured above to the world record holding Blitzen Benz. It was a fantastic display of ancient motoring monsters, some having airplane engines and capacities measured by dozens of liters. Click Read to get the full story.

Click the gallery to see hi-res images of the Brooklands Centenary race cars at Pebble Beach .

Somebody buying a Bentley Brooklands isn't so concerned with how it performs, how it stacks up to the competition or how much it costs. They're far more taken by the Bentley-ness of the whole thing, that je ne sais quoi, a certain indescribable quality that you just can't put your finger on, lest the car's owner release the hounds...so you'd better get your own.

Put yourself in that mindset before you watch the following video. Imagine you've got all the money and taste in the world and ignore the notion that the Continental GT is the better performer, because the "baby Bentley" is just so nouveau riche. Now pour yourself a brandy, light up a cigar and enjoy what amounts to little more than some black and white footage of a land yacht accompanied by some acid jazz...jaaaazzzz!

[Source: The Hollywood Extra]

Click image for high-res photo gallery

This may be the least-surprising item in today's news. It was reported before, but now we have it from the horse's mouth: first-year production of Bentley's limited-run Brooklands mega-coupé is officially sold out. The car is totally handcrafted, and its long, chop-top-looking profile actually begins its life as the body of an Azure convertible, to which the Brooklands' steel roof is hand-welded. That's just one part of the very labor-intensive process behind the car's creation, which is why it's being limited to just 550 units overall.

Its 6.75L V8 makes 530 horsepower and a ridiculous 774 lb-ft of torque, which conspire to give the Brooklands a 0-60 time of 5 seconds flat and a top speed of 184. Not too shabby for a car whose curb weight is within throwing distance of 3 tons. It also boasts the most spacious rear passenger compartment of any coupe, and as is the case with any Bentley, the options surrounding colors, materials and trim are virtually limitless. As for the remaining cars in the 550-vehicle total run, it's not a matter of if they'll go, but when. This is opulence in its most meticulously-detailed form. We love it.

Bentley's new press release on the car, which goes into great detail, including full tech specs, is pasted after the jump. The Flying B people released 28 new photos, too, and they've been added to the gallery below.

[Source: Bentley Motors]

Click the image above to view our 47-image Brooklands gallery

If you have at least $330,000 to spend on your next new car, and you've got an eye on the new Bentley Brooklands, you'd better get your order in before they're all gone. The first 140 are already spoken for, which equates to the first year of production. Any new orders will have to wait two years before the order is filled.

Production of the 530hp ultraluxury vehicle will only hit 550 units during its three-year run, and the Brooklands will most certainly meet that quota. Bentley marketing director Stuart McCullough told BusinessWeek that the incredibly low production volume of the Brooklands is due in part to the hundreds of different options available for the mega-coupe. It should also be noted that the painstaking task of creating the car itself is time-consuming, yet another reason the overall production run will be a low number. Remember that each Brooklands begins life as one of Bentley's Azure convertibles, to which the hard roof is then hand-welded. In any case, the amazing degree to which the cars can be personalized (most Bentleys roll out of the factory with around $30,000 - $50,000 of customization...some with much, much more) will likely ensure that no two Brooklands will ever be alike. We're not experts, but we get the feeling these 550 Bentleys will probably never depreciate much, unless, of course, Eddie Griffin takes the wheel...

[Source: BusinessWeek via coolbrit.net]

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.

click above image to view 23 high-res images of the new Bentley Brooklands coupe

Bentley describes its new Brooklands coupe that's being unveiled right now in Geneva as a "grand touring coupe with classic British proportions." Yes, it certainly has classic British proportions if by that Bentley means it's as big as Britain itself. The new 2+2 coupe by the boys and girls from Crewe is named after the famed Brooklands banked race track in Surrey, England where Bentley made a name for itself in motorsports during the 1920s.

The Brookland's got a classic Bentley face, a modern profile (check out the fender vents!) with B-pillarless side glass and massive 20-inch wheels that shine with a mirror finish. The interior features typical Bentley craftsmanship, which means by-hand construction of the leather-lined surfaces and symmetrical wood trim. The rear passengers benefit from limo-like legroom and power adjustable cushions, as well. A prodigious amount of power is provided by Bentley's all-aluminum 6.75L turbocharged V8 with revised cams and a lower inertia turbo that helps push power to an even 500bhp and around 775 ft-lbs. of earth-wrinkling torque. Needless to say, 60 mph will come and go faster than your fat wallet. Only 505 Brooklands will be made by Bentley, making it one exclusive land yacht for the ridiculously wealthy. Deliveries are scheduled to start in the first half of 2008 for the sheiks, musicians and tech company moguls who will no doubt plunk down a deposit.

We've got plenty more shots of the Bentley Brooklands in our high-resolution gallery. We'll bring you live shots and the official press release as soon as we get our grubby hands on them.

[Source: Bentley]