Bentley News

Icy winds and snow are blowing across Motown, dumping on the auto capital of the world at a time when American politicians are applying relentless pressure for a major shift in the way that General M

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.  

A greener ethanol engine is one way Bentley plans to protect its place at the top of global motoring. The luxury British brand will slash exhaust emissions and boost fuel economy under sweeping plans under development by Bentley in partnership with Volkswagen. It plans to suck the engineering expertise of its German parent company and then adapt VW technology to its own range. The plan is firm, but Bentley head of engineering Paul Jones is not big on detail. Speaking at the launch of its 2009 Continental Flying Spur models in Boston, Jones hints that Bentley will take a series of stabs into the heart of its range's high fuel consumption. He indicates the first move will be biofuel-compatible engines in an effort to get the brand's CO2 emission levels down towards the proposed European Union's 120g/km target. So engines with Saab-style E85 compatibility will become available within two years for the US and Europe. There is nothing firm for Australia as the rollout of E85 fuel is still in its infancy. Jones says Bentley will not be party to sourcing ethanol from human feedstock. “We will not become involved in using food crops to power our cars. The E85 fuel will have to come from other sources such as wood pulp and the woody stalks of crops,” he says. The first Bentley to get E85 compatibility will be the Arnage V8. This 50-year-old engine is expected to remain behind a Bentley badge for at least four years . . . perhaps longer if it can meet future emission regulations, says Jones. But it is expected to be replaced with a new powerplant by 2012 which he hints “will have a 40 per cent reduction in CO2”, and therefore, a 40 per cent decrease in fuel consumption. “But it will have no change in performance. We won't do business if we have to reduce performance. Our customers have very stringent demands,” he says. Jones will not indicate what powerplant will make these reductions, though his hints arrive around the same time the Volkswagen Group — including VW's major shareholder Porsche — has outlined a new push into hybrids. Bentley has suggested it will make its cars lighter to help the fuel economy which, in the 2.5-tonne Flying Spur saloon, averages about 17 litres/100km. A fuel-efficient Volkswagen DSG semi-automated transmission is possible, but Jones says the W12 engine's high torque will be too high. Other than the hybrid route, Bentley also has access to the Volkswagen turbodiesel engine range including a bi-turbo V12 and V10 it has developed for its Q7 four-wheel drive and R8 supercar.  

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 car Motor: 24v electric wheelchair motor Power: 240 watt Torque: 7Nm Top speed: 64km/h CO2 emissions: 0g/km Suspension: fixed carbonfibre wishbones Wheels: 1x16 carbonfibre with bespoke Michelin low-resistance tyres Batteries: 2 x 12v lead acid Transmission: continuous, one-wheel drive Steering: rack and pinion Turning: 19.2m Brakes: 160mm ventilated disc on rear wheel) Weight: 120kg  

A Bentley once owned by the late disgraced stockbroker Rene Rivkin — and now by a former Gold Coast vice king — could be sold for as little as 1c under a radical new auction system. The Azure convertible was part of Rivkin's luxury car collection auctioned off as part of a fire sale before his suicide in 2005. It was snapped up for $281,000 by former Fitzgerald Inquiry figure Ron “The Pom” Kingsnorth, who in the 1980s owned one of the Gold Coast's most notorious brothels, the Geisha Bathhouse. British-born Mr Kingsnorth, once an associate of infamous London gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray, says he is “a bad boy who's gone straight” and is now out of the vice trade. Now in his 70s, he has married “a nice young Ukrainian wife,” Olga, and is involved in property development. He said he had decided to get into the “reverse auction” business as a sideline, and to raise money for charity. Unlike traditional auctions where the highest bid wins, goods sold at reverse auction are knocked down to the lowest unique bidder — the person with the lowest bid no one else has chosen. Last year, a $350,000 Broadbeach high-rise unit was sold at reverse auction for $62.92. Promoters make their money by charging a bid fee — in the case of the Bentley, $9 (or three bids for $20). The maroon convertible — which cost more than $700,000 when new and can go from 0-100km/h in six seconds — will be auctioned online for between 1 and $6000, to whoever makes the lowest unique bid. But if the auction is a success, Mr Kingsnorth stands to make hundreds of thousands of dollars. Mr Kingsnorth said he was abused as a child in East London and was donating part of the auction proceeds to the Abused Child Trust. He said that if the auction works, he plans to sell luxury homes and boats using the same method. People can bid for the Bentley online.  

Bentley, long renowned for producing luxury cars with scant regard for fuel consumption or emissions, has unveiled a plan to have all Bentleys “green” by 2012.

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.