Bentley Continental 1965 News

Plans for a one-make series to rival or surpass the Ferrari 458 Challenge are well under way at Bentley's home in Crewe, the company's chief reveals to CarsGuide."For the future we are at present evaluating the potential of a luxury one-make cup, and this could take place on four continents, for about 25 entries," Wolfgang Durheimer, CEO of Bentley, says at the Goodwood Festival of Speed."We organise everything. We do everything. They have high-performance racing with high-performance cars."We want to be the number oneDurheimer says the Bentley racers would be positioned midway between the company's road-going Continental and the GT3 racing version of the same car, which challenged for victory in this year's Bathurst 12-Hour race and is returning to Mount Panorama in 2016.He says air-conditioning will be essential in the cars, since he expects the series will attract well-funded 'gentleman' drivers without the skill or fitness of full-time professionals.But he is keen on the championship and what it can bring to Bentley buyers who want more than just a road car."Once you are signed in you have luxury track time in a high-performance car. I hope that we come to a good conclusion."Durheimer also confirms for the first time that the Continental GT3 program will continue beyond the original three-year commitment, which has now seen 19 cars built for racing."Don't assume we stop next year. Racing is part of our DNA. We are already evaluating the potential of the next car," he says."Emotionally, it can drive our company to new horizons. Internally, it helps us to work in a very discipled way and to be competitive and win."We want to be the number one and we intend to be the winner in the luxury performance game. We like to do the extraordinary things, not what everybody does."

Bentley of Britain will launch a full-scale two-car attack on Bathurst next year.The ultra-luxury carmaker has just confirmed a factory entry in the Bathurst 12-hour sports car race in February, fielding a pair of its Continental GT3 racers.It is not expecting to win but has already achieved victories in Europe and the USA in the first season with its production-based competition car, which is powered by a 4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine producing up to 600 horsepower.“We are coming with the factory team to the Bathurst 12-hour. We decided last week at our headquarters in Britain,” the chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, Wolfgang Durheimer, revealed exclusively at the Paris motor show today.“It will be two cars. The program will be run from our headquarters in Crewe.”Durheimer also reveals that the effort in 2015 will be the start of a multi-year program for Bentley and he’s not expecting to win at the first attempt.“We know that we are in the underdog position because we have a new car and no track data from the race, but we will do our best to give a good impression,” he said“We are extremely pleased to bring the Bentley brand to a very knowledgeable audience and an outstanding historic racetrack in Australia. I have only heard and read about about Bathurst, but I believe it is the Australian Nurburgring.“I am thrilled to do one lap on my own. Yes, I am hoping to get to the race.”The Bathurst 12-hour has become a major international event in recent years, attracting a number of European entries including the Mercedes-Benz gullwing that finished second this year to a Ferrari 458 crewed by Craig Lowndes and John Bowe.But it is at the heart of a major confrontation with V8 Supercar racing, which has scheduled its pre-season test at Sydney Motorsport Park on the same weekend in a decision that reflects clashes between rival television networks and the availability of marquee drivers including Lowndes and Shane van Gisbergen.Durheimer said the lead car in the Bentley team will be shared by factory drivers Guy Smith, Steven Kane and Andy Meyrick but there had been no decision on the second car.“For the second car, we didn’t decide yet. Applications are still possible,” he smiled.Durheimer is promising much more than a race entry, even though factory motorsport personnel will soon travel to Bathurst to collect data and logistics information on the event and track.“We do it entirely as a factory team, but I’m absolutely sure we will get connected to our dealer body. And the guys in Australia will support us as much as possible."We will do a major activation. GT racing, for us, is about getting access to the pits, to the team, to the strategy. We are absolutely approachable,” he said."We build very exclusive cars and we like the prestigious approach, but in terms of racing activities we have both feet on the ground and don’t intend to be the high fliers.“We let the parents and the kids get involved.”Durheimer said the program is already in top gear to make deadlines for the February event.“My guys will come in the European winter time to asses the data. I don’t think it will be a one-off event for us.“We know we need to be extremely humble to approach this track and these experienced drivers. Luckily we have scored a victory in the US in our first racing season and we were second in the Blancpain endurance season in Europe for teams and drivers.” 

   

The second is the four double-door garages.  Then he opens the doors to reveal cars stacked on top of each other on hoists. Jags, Mercs, a Porsche, Bentley and even a VW Karmann Cabriolet, plus five 1980s-'90s BMW motorcycles.Bitneris is a serious motoring nut.  But he almost wasn't, thanks to bad experiences with his first car, a "1950s-something" Standard 8.  "What a piece of crap that was. Even the floor fell out," he laughs."I was studying engineering _ it's tough being poor _ and I bought it in total ignorance because the guy that sold it to me left the country and it was still under finance.  They repossessed it and I went through a lot of heartache.  Then I bought a 1947 Fiat. What a piece of crap that was, too."Then came his motoring epiphany.  "The highlight of my life was working for the Ford Motor Company back in the late '60s, early '70s when they were developing the GTHO," he says."My job as a young engineer was to build the plant expansion to make the new models. I built all the assembly lines.  A GTHO cost about $4800 at the time and now they're fetching more than 100 times that. I should have stolen a couple of them.  I used to get to drive them on the weekends after working 80-100 hour weeks. They were great days for motoring."His career took him overseas for the next 30-odd years, living in 21 countries and learning to speak six languages.  Bitneris says his first "collector" car was a 1960 Jaguar XK 150 he bought in 1976 in Canada.  "It didn't cost a lot of money. It was the first one I could afford to buy," he says.He won't talk about how much he paid for any of his cars _ he has mostly forgotten _ and he won't talk about what they are worth now.  "People squander their money. I squander it on cars," he says. "I'd like to think that they could be my superannuation."  Bitneris has owned several different marques, all European."After the Jaguar it's a bit of a liar's contest," he says.  "I've bought a lot of cars I don't have anymore such as Series I and II Rolls-Royce Shadows."  He currently owns a 1961 Bentley Continental Park Ward Cabriolet which is number 68 of only 125 handbuilt at Crewe. It features a 6.25-litre V8 with about 150kW of power and four-calliper brake pistons."I paid a lot of money for that but it's worth a lot of money now," he says.  He also has two Mercedes-Benz 220S models.  One is a 1958 220S Cabriolet like the one Princess Grace died in. He bought it from a "crook" in Western Australia. The other is a 1959 Coupe he bought off a restorer who now wants it back.But Bitneris won't sell it to him. Instead he has flown to Russia to negotiate selling the two Mercs and Bentley to a collector.  He also owns a 1971 Jaguar E-Type Roadster which is one of the first with a V12 engine.  "I love Jags. They were the ants pants in my day. You could pick up women with them," he says.He also tends to favour cabriolets because "that's where the money is".  Sitting on top of one of the Mercs is a 1965 Porsche 356 SC, one of only 12 brought into Australia.  "I bought it from a guy whose wife ran off with the boss and he didn't want her to have it so he sold it to me cheap," he says."It was in totally original condition with a spare engine.  "The gods favoured me that day."  He boasts it has such a good drag co-efficient you can slip it into neutral at 160km/h and it will coast for more than 1.5km before stopping.There is also a 1979 VW Karmann Cabriolet in his garage that he admits is "a piece of crap, but mechanically perfect".  He's thinking of putting a Subaru engine in it.Bitneris is also planning to convert a four-door 1959 Jaguar Mk IX to two doors and right-hand drive with a bonnet that hinges forward like on the E-Type.  "My next project will be a Series 1 E-Type; I'll pull out the engine, gearbox and brakes and strip it down to about 900kg and put in a four-litre modern Jag engine," he says."At 900kg it's lighter than my Porsche 356.  I'll use it as a run-around."  He even has plans to start building replica Porsche RS 61 Spyders using the original drawings.  "It's a tiny car with only has a 1.6-litre engine, but boy is it quick," he says.Bitneris used to drive all of his cars, but now claims he can't afford to register them.  "I mainly drive the E-Type which has been converted to fuel injection using a Skyline GT-R system and injectors," he says.  "The car was quick as it was, but it's quicker now with about 50 per cent extra power."They are all my favourites."  Bitneris says that even as a dedicated revhead, he still has concern for the environment.  "I've got a couple of stills and I'm going to make my own ethanol so I can drive all of these around without having to worry about the cost to the environment or the cost of fuel."

The British-based, German-owned, manufacturer now guarantees that 85 per cent of all materials used in its Continental models are recyclable which also makes it more attractive for the company to offer environmental recovery at the end of the car's life. Official recognition of Bentley's efforts came in the form of a certificate from the German Motor Transport Authority (KBA). In a ceremony in Berlin, KBA's President Ekhard Zinke presented the official European-wide certificates to Dr. Arno Homburg, head of Whole Vehicle Development at Bentley Motors. "Our environment policy is based on sustainable principles and we take a holistic view of the whole process," Dr Homburg says. ""At the design stage we consider the environmental impact of all components over the entire life of the car. This is despite the fact that over 70% of all Bentleys ever produced are still in existence - our cars tend to end up as collectors' items rather than scrap." The recycling certificate is part of a comprehensive environmental strategy Bentley is applying, including offering bio-fuel capable models pioneered with the Continental Supersports which can be powered by either gasoline or ethanol. Bentley announced at the Geneva motor show earlier this year that by 2012, all Bentley models will be available with flex fuel technology.        

As a builder of limousines for the British royal family, Hollywood stars and European aristocrats, the UK-based company always manages to get plenty of publicity. For Melbourne, it has chosen two Continental GTCs — a Glacier White and Monaco Yellow Continental — as the halo cars. They will be joined by the Bentley Flying Spur Speed and Continental GT Speed coupe, both potent additions to the Continental range. Inspired by the grace and power of Bentley’s bloodline, the Continental GT Speed delivers enormous power and tauter handling. Enhanced dynamics build on a heritage of high performance dating to 1919. The GT Speed’s 6.0-litre W12 engine develops an enormous 449kW/750Nm, propelling the car to 100km/h in 4.3 seconds. It is the most powerful production Bentley ever built and the first to top 322km/h.   The 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show...  

Speed is good for Bentley. It was very good in the 1920s, when a Speed badge signalled everything special about the British brand's sportiest models.