Bentley Continental 2007 News

Bentley has added a more powerful Speed model to its Continental Flying Spur range and beefed up the power of its audio system. The 12-cylinder Speed is the British company's most powerful four-door model yet. With 447kW of power, it has the same potent performance as its stablemate, the Continental GT Speed, hurtling from standstill to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds and hitting a top speed of 322km/h. It also features a lowered ride height, uprated and redesigned suspension, retuned steering and comes with bespoke Pirelli P-Zero UHP performance tyres. Outside, the Speed is differentiated by a dark-tinted radiator and air intake grilles and wider rifled exhaust tail pipes and 20inch multi-spoke alloy wheels. The new Bentley Continental Flying Spur also puts more power into its sound system with an optional 1100-watt Naim amplifier, the most powerful in a production car. British hi-fi firm Naim has designed a sound system with 15 custom-built speakers, dual sub-woofers and a next-generation Digital Signal Processor. So occupants can enjoy the music, rather than listen to road, wind and tyre noise, a range of noise-absorbent materials has been added. They include acoustic glazing, tri-laminate body undertrays and wheelarch liners. Subtle exterior styling changes for the Flying Spur include a more upright grille and bolder lower air and a more aggressive rear bumper, with three new exterior colours and four duo-tone paint combinations. Inside, there is a greater choice of crafted wood marquetry and chrome inlays, seat piping and two new hide colours. The new Flying Spur may now be optioned up with a follow-to-stop, radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control which monitors traffic ahead and manages the throttle and brakes to maintain a pre-set time gap, up to a driver-selected set speed. The aluminium-intensive suspension of the Flying Spur features revised spring and dampers and bespoke 19-inch Pirelli UHP tyres. All Flying Spur models come with the largest brakes of any production passenger car on sale today, with 405mm x 36mm ventilated front discs and 335mm x 22mm rears. Under normal driving conditions the brake discs will last the lifetime of the car.   Bentley Continental Flying Spur ENGINE: aluminium alloy, twin-turbocharged, 5998cc, DOHC, 4-valve, 12-cylinder POWER: 412kW @ 6100rpm; 449kW @ 6000rpm (Speed) TORQUE: 650Nm @1600rpm; 750Nm @ 1750rpm (Speed) TRANSMISSION: ZF 6-speed automatic, continuous all-wheel drive SUSPENSION: multi-link, computer-controlled self-levelling air suspension, anti-roll bars BRAKES: Front - 405mm ventilated discs (optional 420mm carbon/silicon carbide, cross-drilled discs); Rear - 335mm ventilated discs (optional 356mm carbon/silicon carbide, cross-drilled discs), ABS, electronic stability DIMENSIONS (mm): 5290 (l), 2118 (w), 3065 (wheelbase) WEIGHT: 2475kg WHEELS/TYRES: Flying Spur: 9J 19-inch Alloy (optional 9J 20-inch alloy) 275/40x19 bespoke Pirelli P Zero (optional 275/35x20); Speed: 9.5J X 20 Alloy, 275/35 x 20 Pirelli P-Zero FUEL: PULP, 90 litre tank ECONOMY: 16.6litres/100km (combined) CO2 EMISSIONS: 396g/km  

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.

Nine stars of the Melbourne International Motor Show took a quick spin from City Hall to Federation Square to rev the city up for tomorrow evening's big opening at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.Led by a beefy Chrysler 300C police car, about $2 million worth of auto exotica cruised down Swanston St.Lord Mayor John So rode James Bond-style in a $360,000 Aston Martin DB9 Volante convertible.Immediately behind him was a Bentley Continental GTC convertible worth $400,000, but even that was trumped moments later by a Ferrari 599 GTB, costing $600,000.Others in the column included a Maserati Quattroporte, the new convertibles from Volkswagen and Volvo, and a top-of-the-range Lexus LS460.Most unusual was the Bonning B3 three-wheeler, the personal project of designer and artist Brad Bonning.But there would be plenty more to see at the show itself, said the extravaganza's director, Russ Tyrie."That's just to give people a taste of what they will see on Friday," Mr Tyrie said."The parade is a great way to bring the show to Melbourne and to give people an idea of what an exciting and dynamic thing the car industry is."The covers will come off quite a few new cars at the show."With some of them it's going to be as much a surprise to us as it will to everyone else."

The four-seater droptop has a 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 engine and will cost more than $400,000. The GTC will feature alongside the latest Arnage T with 1000Nm, a Continental Flying Spur and a Diamond Series version of the Continental GT, which has the first carbon ceramic disc brakes used on a Bentley. The GTC will also join a cavalcade in the city on Wednesday. A dozen show treats will be led by a Chrysler 300C in Victoria Police colours and Melbourne Lord Mayor John So will ride in an Aston Martin DB9 Volante. The cavalcade will travel from the Town Hall to Federation Square, starting at noon. Action for the show is building. The Bentleys join an updated Lamborghini Gallardo, and Elfin is also coming, after its sale to Tom Walkinshaw, with a celebration for the company's 50th birthday. "It is great to see Elfin marking its anniversary at the show," motor show director Russ Tyrie of the VACC says. "We also have Porsche confirmed with the facelifted Cayenne, and EDAG is also tweaking a radical Cayenne for the show." Tyrie says the final arrivals will not be confirmed until just before the official opening, partly because of overseas shipping schedules and partly because carmakers work to provide surprises for showgoers. "We are cramped a little bit for space this year," he says. "The new development of the Convention Centre means we don't have as much space in the concourse. Still, we will have about 450 cars in total." This is expected to include newcomers from Suzuki and Honda, which are on the secret list, as well as details of the forthcoming Jeep Wrangler.The show opens at 5pm next Friday and closes at 6pm on March 12. It is open from 10am to 10pm each of the other days.

The state's allocation of three $659,000 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 supercars have all been spoken for.Audi Centre Brisbane dealer principal Greg Willims, who deals with brands such as Audi, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Maserati, said premium car sales were continuing to rocket this year after a successful 2006.Standing in front of a $399,500 pale blue convertible Bentley Continental GTC at the show yesterday, he said Queenslanders last year bought 28 of the stately English marque."This year it will be 36," he said.Mr Willims also expected to sell three Bentley Azures at $650,000 each."Two people have already put in an order from the Gold Coast," he said."In premium cars, interest is evenly divided between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, but in the convertibles there is more interest from the Gold Coast."Audi also yesterday unveiled its first mid-engined supercar, the R8, which will arrive in September, costing between $250,000 and $300,000.Mr Willims said there were already eight orders in Brisbane for the 309kW V8 supercar capable of going from standstill to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds.Audi confirmed there were 34 orders across the nation and 13 from Queensland.The show continues until February 11 in the Brisbane Convention Centre, featuring 311 new cars from 40 manufacturers.

Members of the P1 performance club get the pick of some of the world's hottest and most expensive supercars, including brands such as Ferrari, Aston Martin and Lamborghini. P1 Australia director Peter Dempsey says the club has 12 cars and plans to add one new car for every extra five members."With our collection they can take any car out that suits them," he says. The cars are divided into five categories, the top one featuring the most expensive cars, such as a Ferrari F430 Spider and soon a Scaglietti, an Aston Martin DB9 Volante and Vanquish and a Lamborghini Murcielago.Other cars in the mix include a Bentley Continental GT, a Ferrari F430, Aston Martin V8 Vantage and various Porsches. The lower categories might not be quite as impressive, but they'll still turn heads. A BMW M5 and Z4 M Coupe, a Range Rover Sport and a Lotus Exige S2, add to the list.Dempsey says a Hummer H2 will be next to arrive, dressed with a leather package. He is also expecting the arrival of the Audi R8. But getting to drive your dream cars doesn't come cheap."There's a joining fee of $5000 and then there are three different levels of membership, $27,000, $32,000 or $36,500," Dempsey says.Top-end members have a possible 70 driving days a year, with the cheaper membership offering 50 days a year.The company originated in England six years ago, and was co-founded by former Formula One world champion Damon Hill.After two months of operation, the Sydney branch has 50 members. "In Sydney, we cap it at 150 members," Dempsey says. "That's a reflection of the sizeof commercial property that is available to store the cars."The founding British club has 74 cars, including a Ford GT and an Aerial Atom. But Dempsey says they haven't been able to bring these models, as the Atom isn't road legal in Australia and customs won't allow the GT in as it is a left-hand drive. "(But) we're the only ones doing it with the supercars, brand new cars," he says.And it seems that it's not just the usual suspects, the wealthy bankers, lawyers and financiers, who are getting on board.Dempsey says members come from all walks of life and include a greengrocer and a professional golfer. Doctors, dentists, solicitors and barristers are also taking up the chance to get behind the wheel of some amazing cars.The youngest member is a 22-year-old refrigeration engineer from western Sydney.The club takes care of all insurance, maintenance and storage fees and Dempsey says one of the main benefits is that members don't have to worry about huge depreciation on the vehicles."With high taxation, people understand that they're better off putting half a million dollars in an investment and getting to play the field (with) the cars," he says.And while the majority of those taking up the membership are male, Dempsey says women are also driving them as a memberships include two names as drivers."Often guys show the interest and then bring their wives on board as the second name driver," he says.The cars can be taken out for as little as a day, or it can run into months -- depending on members' wants and needs.Dempsey says the weather often forecasts what vehicles will be popular, with the convertibles a hit on the sunny weekends.A second British branch of the club opened in 2004 in Manchester.The Australian section will expand in March, when a Melbourne club is opened, with Formula One driver Mark Weber in attendance again. And Dempsey says that P1 International is also looking towards expanding into Dubai and Hong Kong.

And the orders and interest in prestige and luxury brands has continued with stand managers claiming an increase in figures, despite a slight decline in overall attendance.The Mercedes SL500 was bought by a customer who was part of a group of VIP guests and has since sold four more models."We're generally generating around 45 to 50 leads of interest every single day during the motor show," Mercedes Benz spokesman Peter Fadeyev said.The new Bentley GT Continental Convertible has also generated a lot of interest with its first appearance at the Darling Harbour event.Bentley spokesman David Jackson said up to six orders have already been taken for the $400,000 car."We generate a huge proportion of enquiries from the motor show and we sell a lot of cars as a result of it," he said yesterday.Two Ferrari 599 GTBs, worth $700,000 each, have been sold while on display in Australia for the first time.Audi spokeswoman Anna Burgdorf said there has been a lot of interest in its R8, with 10 strong leads and major interest in the much-anticipated new TT model.BMW has already sold two cars from its stand and has generated a lot of interest in the coupes and M6. What's on today* The third nightly fashion parade features Sydney designer Nicola Finetti, noted for high fashion and cocktail wear. There will be two shows at the Saab stand at 6.30pm and 7.30pm.* When: 10am-10pm* Where: Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre* Tickets: Adults $17, 5-16 $10.50, under 5 free, family (2 adults and 3 children) $42* Follow the show online at the official Australian Motor Show website

Alfa Romeo stepped up straight after the Peugeot unveiling of a woman, I mean a car. A 207 apparently.