Bentley News

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.

Michael Schumacher retired with seven world championships, but 007 is up to 21 movies — with six different macho men in the role — and still going hard.During the past quarter-century and in 21 official films, Bond has been the target of more bad guys on wheels than anyone else in cinema history, yet he has always managed to escape without a scratch.And he has often pulled a nifty U-turn on the opposition with some sort of car trickery, from concealed machine guns on a 1960s Aston Martin to an '80s Lotus Esprit that morphed into a submarine — and even a remote-controlled BMW 7 Series in the '90s.Now he's back for the noughties, and doing it again in the remake of Casino Royale, which opened in cinemas just before Christmas. And he's back in an Aston Martin, just like the early days.The hype for the new 007 movie got me thinking not only about Bond's wheelwork in the latest British supercar, but also the dream car of my childhood: a scale model of the Aston Martin DB5 Bond drove in the 1960s.It came with all the Bond gear — revolving number plates, concealed machine guns, tyre-slashers, a bulletproof rear shield and even an ejector seat.In 1965, Corgi released its scale model of the gadget-laden DB5, and by 1968 nearly four million copies had been sold.It remains Corgi's best-known model, and I couldn't afford it.The release of the 21st-century Casino Royale has triggered a lot of talk about 007 and cars and movies.The model-making machine is already rolling again, with scaled-down copies of the DBS and even re-done — but de-gadgeted — replicas of the original DB5. And this time, there was a tiny Aston in my Christmas stocking.It's worth looking at what Bond cameos have done for car companies.BMW experienced plenty of benefit when it signed a multi-movie deal that began with its baby Z3 convertible. The world saw the car first when it was driven on the big screen by Bond. That deal continued with the Z8 convertible and the controversially styled 7, and even a BMW motorcycle.But then Britain bounced back for the last of Pierce Brosnan's appearances as Bond, when he slid back into an Aston and the baddies strapped into a rocket-equipped Jaguar.This time around, Agent 007 is driving a gorgeous new DBS, and there's even a special appearance by an original DB5.A poll has been conducted for the television series Top Gear on the most popular car chase in Bond movie history. And the winner is ... no, not the Aston. Not a Jaguar, nor the Lotus, nor even one of the BMWs.First choice was a crazy little Citroen 2CV that suffered all sorts of punishment — including being cut in half — when it was driven by Roger Moore in the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only. The four-wheeled co-stars:Dr No (1962): Sunbeam Alpine, Chevrolet Bel AirconvertibleFrom Russia With Love (1963): Bentley Mark IVGoldfinger (1964): Aston Martin DB5, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes 190SL, Lincoln Continental, Ford Mustang convertible, Rolls-Royce Phantom IIIThunderball (1965): Aston Martin DB5, Ford Mustang convertible, BSA Lightning motorcycle, gyrocopter1967 You Only Live Twice: Toyota 2000 GT, BMW CSOn Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969): Aston Martin DBS, Mercury Cougar, Bentley S2 Continental, Rolls-Royce CornicheDiamonds Are Forever (1971): Ford Mustang Mach 1, Triumph Stag, moon buggyLive And Let Die (1973): double-decker London bus, Chevrolet Impala convertible, MiniMokeThe Man With The Golden Gun (1974): AMC Hornet and Matador, Rolls-Royce Silver ShadowThe Spy Who Loved Me (1977): Lotus Esprit, Wetbike concept, Ford Cortina Ghia, Mini MokeMoonraker (1979): Bentley Mark IV, Rolls-Royce SilverWraithFor Your Eyes Only (1981): Citroen 2CV, Lotus Esprit Turbo, Rolls-Royce Silver WraithOctopussy (1983): Mercedes-Benz 250 SE, BMW 5 Series, Alfa Romeo GTVA View To A Kill (1985): Renault taxi, Ford LTD, Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II, Chevrolet Corvette C4The Living Daylights (1987): Aston Martin DBS and V8 Vantage, Audi 200 QuattroLicence To Kill (1989): Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Kenworth petrol tankerGoldenEye (1995): BMW Z3, Aston Martin DB5, Russian tank, Ferrari 355Tomorrow Never Dies (1997): Aston Martin DB5, BMW 750iL, BMW R1200C motorcycleThe World Is Not Enough (1999): BMW Z8, Rolls-Royce Silver ShadowDie Another Day (2002): Aston Martin Vanquish, Jaguar XKR, Ford Thunderbird convertibleCasino Royale (2006): Aston Martin DBS and DB5, Jaguar E-type roadster, Fiat Panda 4x4, Ford Transit, Ford Mondeo

Even a few decades ago, the sight of a car saleswoman may have sent male buyers spinning on their heels.Now, Belinda Woodward is one of Audi Australia's best sales people.Kim Trevena is the business manager for Audi Centre Brisbane and Sue Young is in charge of public relations and marketing for Bentley, Ferrari and Maserati and also assists with the sales of Bentleys.Saleswomen are not uncommon in most dealerships and this emergence is being mirrored by buyers, with more women taking the dominant role in buying a car, be it for the family or themselves.Women are doing the research, picking the vehicle and negotiating the price.Women are not afraid to buy a car for themselves and they are enjoying it.Audi Centre Brisbane, Alfa Romeo Brisbane, Euromarque; Ferrari, Maserati and Bentley principle Greg Willims said when it comes to buying "things of the heart", buyers prefer dealing with women."If you were going to buy a house today, what is the probability you would deal with a female sales assistant? Very high," he said."People warm to a female salesperson. They feel comfortable and at ease with them."It's a bit unnerving, females are here in what was in historically a male dominated business and they know equally about the motor cars and the features as any male would."At Willim's dealership, two of the four service advisers and 20 per cent of salespeople are female."In finance, the sale of finance and insurance, it's the other way around. All three who sell finance and insurance are female," he said.Willims said women were involved in the decision process of buying cars as much as men."We see a large number of professional women and young women coming through and the decision is theirs," he said."Women make a very good, rational and responsible decision in what they buy."I believe women look for style, they like to see a car that suits their look."They examine carefully the economy of operation and service back-up. They like to know when they come to service time they will be looked after very well."Also they choose the colour. Performance isn't as important, but they do look responsibly to a car that suits; lifestyle, functionality, design, economy, ease of operation, reliability and functionality."Brisbane Denmac Ford's managing director Chris Allen said women are becoming "more the primary buyer" and admits this is "a bit of a change"."The demographic of a husband and wife and the kids coming in to buy the car is not necessarily how we live our lives and that is being reflected in how we buy cars," he said."A lot of surveys say many women are involved in the decision and we are seeing a lot of women there negotiating the transaction."Many women come in without a partner or father figure. It's normal to see women coming in and picking out a car. They seem very well informed, they have done more formal research."A lot of men are more naturally aware of all the different models and the pricing because they seem to be more car oriented. A lot of the women do more formal research through the internet or magazines."Allen said Denmac Ford receives more inquiries from women for SUV vehicles than men."I think in most cases they are the primary driver (of SUVs). They are doing the hard miles."Pickles Auctions manager Paul Cottrell said five years ago one woman would buy a car at most auctions.Today, he sees about three to five."It's probably due to the financial status of women. There are more women in the workforce with more disposable income and taking a greater responsibility in the choice of the family car. Women have more of a say now," he said.The RACQ's Jim Kershaw said any buyer can benefit from having an older person to help with the purchase of a car."If you have done your homework, you will be OK. We are approached equally by both sexes for help with buying cars."Women are earning better pay now and they want wheels. Our society is changing."

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.

The Royal Adelaide Showground at Wayville has been teeming with people wanting to get a glimpse of their dream cars and those researching the vehicles they have a genuine chance to own.Motor show director Ian Digby says the crowds are up by about 10 per cent on 2005 figures and could continue towards a record level – testament to the interest in the auto industry of the South Australian public. "If we were to sustain the increase over five days, we would get a record," he says. "Over 65 per cent of our crowd comes in on the weekend and, even with the weather, the response has been good – and the weather forecast is improving."The crowds have been given plenty of treats, among the most significant for the SA automotive industry being the birth of a new, small-scale, local car maker.SC Cars, of Mt Barker, had to work night and day in the fortnight leading up to the Adelaide Motor Show in order to get its first prototype MGB-bodied, V8-powered sports car on the stand.But SC boss Graham Crowley says the hard work has definitely proved worthwhile."The interest has been very strong. We've got around a dozen quality leads and one who's pretty close to buying one," he says."They love the British styling and the Japanese running gear. It's all been positive – we couldn't have asked for a better start."Mr Crowley hopes about 12 of the specialised MGBs will be built in the small car factory at Mt Barker each year and he has a vision that, one day, a single make race series will be held using the cars.Priced from about $65,000, the car has the body of a 1970 MGB MkII, with a four-litre, 32-valve DOHC Toyota/Lexus V8 engine as its heart.It produces a massive – considering its weight of just 881kg – 260kW of power and can do a 0-400m drag in 10.5 seconds, while having an estimated top speed of 250km/h. Mr Crowley says the SC will rival Ferrari's 430 and motor show goers have at least been able to make that judgment based on appearance alone and not performance, with a F430 on show at Wayville.Ferraris, Lamborghinis and the aristocratic Bentley Azure were always going to be the "drool-producers" of the show – the cars which prompt longing stares and conversations which start with "When I win the lottery".The new Bentley Azure is one of the most expensive cars – at a starting price of $649,000 – but Bentley sales have improved in recent years.Bentley PR manager for South-East Asia and Australasia James Barclay says the Azure is the company's new pinnacle product."We're developing the products we want, including the new Azure – which is a pinnacle product – to give us a complete range," he says.Mr Barclay says the Bentley brand had benefited greatly from investment by the VW Group and it was showing in the results: "Globally we did 1017 cars in 2003, in 2004 we went to around 6500 cars with the GT and some Arnage, last year we went to around 8500 cars, it's positive times for us."The car is entirely hand-built – each one takes more than 600 man hours to build, including the 6.75-litre twin-turbo V8, which bears the name of the engine technician who assembled it.But it has been some Australian-made products that have been capturing the most attention, namely the FJ-inspired Holden hot rod, the Efijy, and the backyard-built super sports car, the Redback Spyder. Holden stand manager Ray Purrington says: "It's been great, like it's been since we launched the Efijy in Sydney. There must have been thousands of pics taken of this car by now. It's a car that people respond to."The Efijy is expected to carry the Australian flag in Motor City, Detroit, later this year when it takes part in the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise, America's largest annual celebration of hot rods and custom cars.A Redback Spyder is already in the U.S. where its maker, Nick Tomkinson, is hopeful the concept will get the support needed to produce the car in small numbers for the public to buy at a cool $250,000."It's been overwhelmingly positive. Adelaide has embraced the car. The crowd really knows their stuff. We've got one guy really interested in buying one. It's all good," he says.

The car will feature among millions of dollars worth of vehicles at the Adelaide Motor Show from April 5-9.Maker Nick Tomkinson first began designing the Batmobile-style sportscar in his backyard shed in 2001. He now has one of the cars in the US and has completed a second Redback, which is touring the show circuit.The car will be a feature at this weekend's Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne, where the car was made.It will give Mr Tomkinson the rare chance to test drive his Chevrolet V8-powered, carbon fibre creation - capable of going from 0 to 100km/h in a little over three seconds.Mr Tomkinson said yesterday he built the $250,000 car because he wanted to own a supercar but couldn't afford one."I wasn't out there to please people. I just wanted a car that I liked the look of and the project just grew," he said.The Redback Spyder is now attracting "big interest" from segments of the automotive industry and Mr Tomkinson is hopeful he can soon have the car road registered in Australia.He also hopes to soon put the vehicle into level production.American talkshow host Jay Leno, a self-confessed car nut, has seen pictures of the Redback and has reportedly enquired about buying one.Other Adelaide Motor Show, highlights include Holden's FJ-inspired show car, Efijy, and sportscars from Ferrari and Lamborghini, as well as a touch of aristocratic elegance from Bentley and Jaguar. All Australian makers also will have their latest vehicles on show.CARSguide is once again the official partner of this year's show, at the Royal Adelaide Showground, Wayville, and The Advertiser and Sunday Mail will support the event by giving away a trip for two to one of the world's biggest motoring events - the Paris Motor Show in September.The promotion starts on the show's opening day next Wednesday and finishes the following Sunday. An entry form will be in in The Advertiser each day.To be eligible readers must purchase a copy of The Advertiser , find the code word and log onto CARSguide.com.au/trip-to-paris and enter their details.