Bentley Continental 2008 News

The Queen has asked that her two gas-guzzling V8 Bentley State Limousines be converted to run on biofuel.The Bentleys are based on the Arnage, but were custom-built in-house by the company's Mulliner coachbuilding division.The limos are currently powered by the company's perennial 373kW/1000Nm 6.7-litre eight-cylinder.In the Arnage this engine delivers a combined fuel economy figure of 19.5l/100km, but this car is almost 1.5 tonnes lighter than the royal cars.Bentley says the royal family are big supporters of Crewe's initiative to switch to bio-fuels.It is fully supportive of the move, which means changing over the V8 engines in the cars for a modest fee.The Queen's decision follows the lead of the Prince of Wales, who runs his Aston Martin sportscar on old wine while he has converted his Range Rover, Jaguar and Audi to run on discarded cooking oil.Each of the Queen's bullet-proof cars is believed to have cost about $14 million each.One was presented as a gift to her during her Golden Jubilee in 2002.The second was commissioned by the Crown as a back-up car.The four-tonne armoured cars are fully maintained by Bentley.They will not only repel fire from a Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle, but protect the occupants from high-powered hand grenades detonated above the roof even if two go off simultaneously underneath the cars.Like all carmakers, the ultra-luxury VW-owned Bentley brand is aiming to reduce emissions and improve economy of its cars.It has announced that from 2012 it will have flex-fuel engines available across its range.The company is aiming for a 15 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by then on all its eight and 12 cylinder engines.It will also introduce a new powertrain from 2012 that will deliver a 40 per cent fuel economy improvement, while maintaining current levels of performance.The new engine is tipped to be a hybrid.When Bentley launched its three-stage environmental strategy early last year, its chief executive, Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen, said bio-fuels were part of the company's ``corporate social responsibility''.

A huge power increase in Bentley's latest Flying Spur saloon has brought an unprecedented new sound to the car.But that's exactly what Bentley wanted and not what you might expect. Not outside the car, anyway.Intead, Bentley and its audio partner, Naim, have concentrated on the cabin.It's not the first time a major carmaker has gone to a top-end sound company for assistance, but the Flying Spur is the first time Naim has come out of the lounge room and into a car.In making the transition, Naim brings in a 1100W war chest of sound that is driven by a series of eight high-end amplifiers with 15 channels and fired through 15 speakers.The two companies claim it is the world's most powerful production-car audio system.Naim has modified the interior of the Bentley Continental and Arnage range for the finest sound quality, clarity and precise reproduction.Everything is custom-made for the Bentley model specified, including making a system as perfect in delivering sound quality in the Continental GTC convertible with the roof up as it is with the roof down.It is enough to may make audiophiles go ga-ga, but it comes at a cost. The system in the Continental Flying Spur adds 15kg to the car and, as an option on the car when it arrives in Australia later this year, will cost up to about $15,000.Naim systems for the home cost anywhere between $6000 and $250,000, though Naim's project manager Trevor Wilson says the sky's the limit.“We are fanatical and obsessive about sound quality and attention to detail,” Wilson says.Details of the system include heavy brass holders for the circuit boards, which are mounted on springs to isolate vibration and a storage box made of heavy-gauge extruded aluminium. The tweeters have silk cores — not paper — and the sub-woofers operate in the boot to maximise sound depth.Naim still makes domestic audio equipment and operates its own record label.Its products are available from eight Australian dealers. 

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  

Imported cars are hardest hit by the new LCT threshold but some of our homegrown brands also suffer.

The British manufacturer has won a special Spirit of Greenpower award for its environmental performance in the recent Greenpower Corporate Challenge at Goodwood race circuit.A Bentley Motors' apprentice team designed, engineered and built the electric-powered car, which they entered in the Greenpower Challenge and F24+ racing season.The Bentley Greenpower car is the Continental DC (Direct Current) and runs off a 24-volt motor supplied by two 12-volt batteries.Designed for lightness and maximum power efficiency, the one-seater Continental DC has a carbon fibre chassis and low-resistance tyres.However, it wouldn't be a Bentley without a touch of luxury. Therefore, the interior is trimmed with alcantara and a touch-screen driver information panel is in development.Greenpower is a series of events that aim to promote greater interest in young people to follow careers in the fields of engineering and technology.The 2008 Greenpower corporate challenge was the first race of the season.Twenty-five teams entered, comprising 15 school entries and 10 company teams.The Bentley team achieved their goal of completing the four-hour race, despite some technical difficulties in the first section.The award was given in recognition of their excellent team spirit that they showed in overcoming these initial technical challenges.The F24+ season consists of eight 90-minute endurance race events that will culminate in a grand final at Goodwood in October.Race tracks on the F24+ schedule include Dunsfold, Rockingham, Croft and Aintree.The Bentley Motors team is composed of nine of the company's apprentices who are all following a three or four-year apprenticeship scheme at the factory in Crewe.Having taken the initiative themselves to compete in the Greenpower challenge the apprentices have devoted weekends and evenings for the past 10 months taking full responsibility for all aspects of the car's development.Three team members acted as drivers on race day, the rest of the team provided essential back-up support in the pits. Bentley Greenpower carMotor: 24v electric wheelchair motorPower: 240 wattTorque: 7NmTop speed: 64km/hCO2 emissions: 0g/kmSuspension: fixed carbonfibre wishbonesWheels: 1x16 carbonfibre with bespoke Michelin low-resistance tyresBatteries: 2 x 12v lead acidTransmission: continuous, one-wheel driveSteering: rack and pinionTurning: 19.2mBrakes: 160mm ventilated disc on rear wheel)Weight: 120kg 

Europeans tore themselves away from exotic supercars to catch a close-up glimpse of the Nano, a tiny, basic and extremely cheap runabout which promises to turn the motoring world on its head.

You can have them all for a fraction of the price.P1 is a multi-million dollar version of a car-rental company but you need to be quick if you want to be a part of the action.Less than a year after launching its Melbourne office, memberships in the exclusive and expensive rental company are running out.More than 135 Australians have signed up and the company will limit its membership to 200 to make sure there are enough cars to go around.“We'll never go above 200 members,” says James Ward, general manager of P1 in Victoria, “basically to maintain a ratio of five new members for each new car.”Though only 29 vehicles are spread across the company's three Australian locations — in Richmond, Sydney and the Gold Coast — the quality of the cars and motorbikes has seen the company lay out $29 million on equipment.Set up by former Formula One world champion Damon Hill in 2000 in Britain, the club came to Australia in December 2006. The Richmond branch opened last March.Members can join for $4550 and pay annual charges ranging from $27,000 to $36,500 to have access to a dream garage.P1's roster includes three examples of the Lamborghini Gallardo, a Lamborghini Murcielago, Ferrari 430, Ferrari 575M, Aston Martin DB9, Bentley GT Continental, Porsche 997 GT3, Porsche Cayman S, Audi RS4 Avant, Lotus Exige, Hummer H2, and a Ducati 1098 and BMW K1200 for bikers.Packages give customers a bank of points to use through the year.As is befitting the cost, the company offers a range of services. They drop off the cars anywhere they are required and can store and wash the customer's personal car.“It's as much about the car as it is about the service,” Ward says . “It's whatever suits our customers.” 

About 20 car enthusiasts have already done just that.

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.

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.