2000 Bentley Arnage Red Label on 2040-cars

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2019 Bentley Continental GT breaks Pikes Peak production car record

Bentley has made good on its promise to capture the production car record at Pikes Peak this past weekend. Pikes Peak expert Rhys Millen took a stock 2019 Bentley Continental GT (save for mandatory safety equipment) up the roughly 12-and-a-half-mile route in a time of 10:18.488 and an average speed of 70 mph. The final time was an impressive 8.4 seconds ahead of the previous record. That previous record holder was a stock 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S driven by David Donner. That car's twin-turbo flat-6 made "just" 560 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque to the Bentley twin-turbo W12's 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. Of course the Bentley is much heavier, which would be evident in a straight drag race, as the Porsche had a claimed 0-60 mph time of 2.9 seconds to the Bentley's 3.6. We're interested to see if other manufacturers will start heading to Pikes Peak in search of production class glory. In the meantime, Bentley can relish in owning not one, but two production car record times. It set the production SUV record last year with a Bentayga. The Bentayga was a little over 30 seconds slower than the Continental GT with a time of 10:49.9. Bentley set the record on Sunday, June 30, the same day that Carlin Dunne was killed in a crash while attempting to set a different record aboard a Ducati Streetfighter V4 prototype. Related Video:    

Bentley Bentayga will be the world's fastest SUV

Bentley is getting close to unveiling the Bentayga crossover. And this latest preview clip packs a punch. The Bentayga is depicted in the video above and the images below undergoing high-speed testing on an oval test track (albeit still under camouflage). And with it comes some interesting figures. First, Bentley confirms the Bentayga will adopt a new 6.0-liter W12 TSI engine. Revealed this past May in Vienna, the engine still features the same unique layout and twin-turbo setup, but features a new injection system and other advancements to deliver 600 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. That will make the Bentayga, in Bentley's own words, "the fastest, most powerful SUV in the world." To back up the claim, it's showing the ultra-luxe sport-ute reaching a top speed of 301 kilometers per hour. That's 187 miles per hour to us, or a good 11 mph faster than the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S and 25 mph clear of the Range Rover Sport SVR. In other words, as far as top speed in SUVs is concerned, the Bentayga will be the new king of the hill... for now, at least. BENTAYGA: EXPLORING THE LIMITS OF PERFORMANCE Bentayga reaches 301 km/h, making it the fastest SUV in the world (Crewe, 04 September 2015) The all-new W12 TSI engine is the most technically advanced 12-cylinder in the world, delivering the best combination of power, torque and efficiency of any car in its class. With a top speed of 301km/h, the Bentayga will be the fastest, most powerful SUV in the world. This film provides a glimpse of what is to come: a unique combination of performance and luxury. Performance of this nature is rare in any car. It was unheard of in an SUV – until now.

Wolfgang D?rheimer retakes the reins at Bentley and Bugatti

Wolfgang Dürheimer is still in play, with Bentley Motors announcing that he will return to the Chairman and CEO slot of the English company and French division Bugatti on June 1, 2014. He'll probably remember those chairs from the last time he filled them, since he was promoted to both positions in 2010 and remained there until September 2012, when he was installed as the head of R&D at Audi. That job only lasted until June of 2013, his nine-month tenure reported to be full of corporate drama that lead to his dismissal from the position.
But as if on gardening leave, he's been in the low-profile position of General Representative of the Volkswagen Group responsible for motorsport. Once back at Bentley, he will take over as the company works on getting its SUV to market and expanding its range. Both of those briefs Dürheimer will know well, having proved his ability at Porsche in the first decade of the new millennium. And even though no longer at Audi, his hybrid days don't appear to be over, as Bentley recently announced that it will hybridize of 90 percent of its lineup.
Dürheimer will also take on a third position, joining a VW Group committee focused on the US and Chinese markets. His successor at Bentley and Bugatti, Wolfgang Schreiber, has been promoted to "a leading position within the Volkswagen Group." There's a brief press release below with the official words.