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Driving the 2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 'home' to Brooklands

BROOKLANDS, England – ‘Continental GTÂ’ embodies an idealized dream of carefree, trans-continental drives to the French Riviera or glamorous Swiss ski resorts. In reality and spirit, a long, long way from a gray January day in what is now a grocery store parking lot in a nondescript London suburb. But this place, or specifically the moss-covered concrete banking surrounding it, is as important to BentleyÂ’s identity as 1930s playboys racing express trains across France, amateur heroes triumphing at Le Mans or the image of luxurious sedans crunching the gravel driveways of stately English homes. In the modern age of Bentley, the racing history at Brooklands, and its expression through hardware supplied by its Volkswagen owners, is what underpins the brand. IÂ’ve got 1,000 miles at the wheel of the latest V8 Continental GT to find out if that Brooklands tradition has been carried forth; to see if this Bentley is still a Bentley. ItÂ’s an interesting moment to be driving a Continental GT, too. For all the British heritage this car embodies, it's dependent on the centralized resources and manufacturing muscle of parent Volkswagen. The same goes for the Group's other brands defined by tradition and local price: Lamborghini, Porsche and even Audi. Yet, IÂ’m enjoying this car just days before Britain formally quits the European Union. The implications are still to be fully understood but it puts Bentley in an especially perilous position, given it depends on overseas production and the free movement of parts from the continent to keep its factory running. Sure, Bentleys are meant to be expensive. But if that margin is suddenly consumed by tariffs on bodies from Volkswagen, engines from Porsche and gearboxes from ZF, the business case looks even shakier than it has been  in the recent past. Nobody knows how itÂ’ll shake out but one answer for VW would be to relocate the whole business to Germany rather than keep building them here. YouÂ’d still have cars branded as Bentleys if that happened. But would they still be Bentleys? We talk about intellectual property. Arguably here weÂ’re talking about emotional property. And the Englishness that makes the cars what they are.   Because more than anything, a Bentley is a feelgood car, even when your reality is grimy winter roads and a coating of salt on your fancy paint.

Bentley Bentayga Stetson Special Edition is Texas-style luxury

A premium Texas car dealership has coordinated the unusual pairing of a top-tier British automaker with a legendary American hat brand. Together, with the help of the bespoke builders from Mulliner, Bentley Dallas and Stetson have birthed the Bentayga Stetson Special Edition. The first example (there will be more) arrived at the dealership this week in White Sand and comes complete with a matching hat.  Although Bentley and Stetson might seem like an odd couple, their similar core values make for a loose connection: lasting quality, timeless design and unmatched craftsmanship. The special edition, which is sold exclusively through Bentley Dallas, is available in three different colors, all of which match an iconic Stetson design. Onyx is meant to pair with the Stetson black 100X El Presidente, Dark Cashmere is for the Stetson Boss of the Plains, and the White Sand paint on this example matches the Stetson Silverbelly. The wheels can be ordered on a normal Bentayga, so the only other exterior alteration is the addition of Stetson badges on the rear side panels. Step inside, and the SUV starts to feel a bit more Texas. Mulliner conceptualized a three-tone configuration with camel main hides, saddle secondary and burnt oak accents. The seats, door paneling, and floor mats feature diamond-quilted designs, and "boot stitching" was used throughout the vehicle as a nod to cowboy culture. Possibly the most beautiful material is the open-pore liquid amber veneer, which is cut from American Red Gum trees in the U.S. Punctuating the special edition, each front seat has "STETSON" embroidered beneath the head rests, and treadplate inserts read, "MULLINER STETSON."  The Stetson Special Edition does not receive any performance upgrades, so it sticks with the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 that makes 542 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque. This exact example is listed at $246,578, but each version would be different depending on customer preferences. Bentley Dallas is expecting two more vehicles in October and November. Featured Gallery Bentley Bentayga Stetson Special Edition View 25 Photos Design/Style Bentley SUV Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance bentley bentayga Mulliner

The myth and mystery of The Bentley Cocktail

The other day, we were trying to find ways to delight a visiting relative who requested a cocktail made with apple brandy (don't ask), and after poring through Mr. Boston and The Playboy Bartender's Guide we were fortunate enough to come across a recipe. This particular concoction piqued our interest not just because it was a means to get rid of that bottle of Calvados that had been malingering on our bar cart, drawing fruit flies and quizzical scorn, since it was gifted to us at the launch of the Peugeot 407 in 2004. It was because of the automotive connection. (Duh.) The cocktail is called The Bentley, and it has a sexy, if probably apocryphal, origin story. According to the legend, the Bentley Boys – rich, Jazz Age, car-loving, British playboy racers – invented the drink after their first of five Le Mans victories, in 1924. Canadian-born WWI hero and Olympic swordsman John Duff and local English Bentley test driver and Bentley 3-Liter Super Sport owner Frank Clement were the only British team and vehicle in this second-ever endurance race, surrounded by more than three dozen French drivers and cars (and a couple of Germans). But despite typical British maladies ­– broken shocks, seized lug nuts, and a dysfunctional gearshift – and a slew of fires, punctures, and chassis-snapping wrecks amongst the field, they persevered. Arriving at their celebratory party at their club near their adjoining apartments in London's exclusive Mayfair neighborhood, they discovered that all of the alcohol had been consumed, with the exception of Calvados and Dubonnet. Mixing these together in equal parts, and adding some bitters, they allegedly invented a drink to settle their affluent nerves. Like most folkloric explanations for the existence of some gross cocktails – the wisecrack-inspired Tom Collins, the whole-cloth-concocted Seelbach – the tale seemed as compelling to us as it was ridiculous. Fortunately, among our friends are many with mastery in mixology, so we decided to put the mystery (and recipe) to them. "To be honest, I'd never even heard of the cocktail," said Tokyo-based international beverage expert Nick Coldicott, the most skeptical of our potation pundits. "And that story smells fishy to me. It seems unlikely that a party venue would have enough of a booze collection to have Calvados and Dubonnet, but not enough whisky or gin or champagne to see the party out.