1999 Bentley Arnage Base 4.4l V8 With Custom Wheels, on 2040-cars

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Bentley designer hints at even faster Continental GT3-R

Does Bentley have room in its Continental GT lineup for an even more extreme version than the new GT3-R? Luc Donckerwolke seems to think so. Speaking with Autocar, the Bentley design chief suggested that an even more performance-focused Continental GT could be in the works, potentially ditching the heavy all-wheel drive system in an effort to further reduce weight, improve handling and drop even more ticks off the 0-60 time that's already down to a best-yet 3.6 seconds in the GT3-R.
To borrow a page from the same playbook used not only by sister-companies Audi and Porsche but also by Renault and Jaguar (to name just a few), we'll tentatively call it the Continental GT3-RS. Whatever the name, though, power would likely come from an even more potent version of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 co-developed with sister-company Audi. Considering that engine already produces 500 horsepower in the Continental GT V8, 521 hp in the V8 S and 572 hp in the GT3-R, we could be looking at as much as 600 horses to make it the most powerful V8 model to date. With that much juice, it would even eclipse some of the W12 models that start at 567 hp in the core Continental GT and range up to the 616 hp in the Speed, which currently ranks not only as the most powerful Conti yet, but also the fastest road car Bentley has ever made.
Donckerwolke says that Bentley has already sold the entire production run for the Continental GT3-R and that customers are already clamoring for something more focused. Younger buyers are likely to be even further drawn to the brand by the ne-plus-ultra Conti, especially if the racing team advanced from its current fifth place in the Blancpain Endurance Series standings.

Mansory Bentley Continental GT V8 Convertible is gaudy and green to the max

Mansory is all about excess, and if the Geneva Motor Show were going on, all visitors to its booth would likely need eye protection upon entering. Take this Mansory Bentley Continental GT V8 Convertible for an example. The exterior paint may be matte black, but it’s gaudy to the max. ThereÂ’s a body kit in play here, giving the hood, front bumper, side skirts and rear bumper the Mansory edge (or ugly, however you want to look at it). Much of the classy Bentley styling is interrupted here, but the interior is where Mansory really went nuts. That green youÂ’re looking at is called “green chrome-oxite,” and it might just be visible from the International Space Station. The leather is all in-house Mansory work, which is then complemented by carbon fiber. If you like diamond-quilted stitching, youÂ’re in luck. The leather design is literally everywhere it could possibly be, even in places where it makes no sense, like the floor. This Continental GT V8 also has a couple performance modifications, too. Mansory has fitted a high performance exhaust system and fiddled with the ECU for a little extra power. It now makes 640 horsepower and 656 pound-feet of torque, up handily from the 582 horses and 568 pound-feet of torque it makes in stock form. That lowers the 0-60 mph time by one tenth of a second to 3.8 seconds. Top speed also rises from 198 mph to 205 mph. Finally, you can crest 200 mph in your V8 Continental. Mansory truly leaves no stone unturned in a build like this. Even the engine bay features green accents all over the place. Pricing wasnÂ’t detailed by Mansory, but if youÂ’re one of the few (or maybe just the one?) who actually wants a Bentley in this spec, weÂ’re sure Mansory will put a number out there for you. WeÂ’ve shot a note over to Mansory ourselves to see what this monstrosity of a Bentley conversion costs. ItÂ’s sure to be extravagant. Related Video:    

Bentley's first electric car will arrive in 2025 at the earliest

Now that it's back in the black, Bentley is busily planning its move into the electric car segment. The company's chief executive shed light on how his team will link the past and the future. When it comes to new products, company boss Adrian Hallmark told Automotive News Europe that "it's all about electrification." The first Bentley with a plug is the Bentayga Hybrid unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. Looking ahead, an electric car will join the range, but executives haven't decided what form it will take, or what it will be powered by. Several options remain on the table. What's certain is that Bentley won't stuff an electric powertrain into one of the cars in its current portfolio. "We could take one of the existing nameplates, and that could be the first electric car, but we wouldn't take an existing car and try to fit batteries into it, because there's a compromise from a range and efficiency point of view," Hallmark explained. The challenge isn't simply to make an electric Bentley; the British firm wants to ensure its first battery-powered model credibly lives up to the badge on its nose. That means it needs to blend effortless power with an acceptable amount of driving range. Bentley is part of Volkswagen, so using one of the platforms in the group's growing arsenal of architectures isn't out of the question. And, Hallmark affirmed engineers will take advantage of the innovative packaging possibilities made possible by electric powertrains. He explained the firm isn't about to release a Mini, but an electric Bentley could have a smaller footprint than, say, a Mulsanne while offering a comparable amount of interior space. He cited the Jaguar I-Pace as an example, which he said is nearly 14 inches shorter than Land Rover's Range Rover, yet is about as spacious inside because electric motors require less space than a comparable gasoline- or diesel-burning engine. The trade-off is that an electric Bentley would need a sizable battery pack, and designers would likely have to put the car on stilts to leave enough room in the cabin for people and gear if they were to pen an electric car in 2020. Solid-state battery technology will solve that problem when it's ready for production, according to Hallmark, though he didn't reveal whether he's open to waiting for the new chemistry or if Bentley's first electric car will ship with a lithium-ion battery pack.