Striking Oil: Bentley could go turbo diesel

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.