1 Owner Onyx Duotone With Beluga Call Roland Kantor 847-343-2721 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Bentley previews another limited-edition W12-powered model

Bentley's Mulliner division renewed ties with its coachbuilding past when it unveiled a limited-edition roadster named Bacalar in 2020. The entire production run was quickly spoken for, showing that there's a demand for small-batch models, and the next car is around the corner. The preview images released by the British brand intentionally make it difficult to tell precisely what we're looking at. One shows what we think is a tonneau cover, which all but confirms the next low-volume Bentley is a convertible, and the other shows a back end with a ducktail-like spoiler and horizontal lights. The company also released a short preview video which suggests that there's some degree of resemblance linking the upcoming car to the Batur, which was unveiled in 2022 to preview a new design language. The front end features a similar look. Bentley's next limited-edition model View 3 Photos Are we looking at a topless Batur? It's not unfathomable, but nothing is official at this stage. If we are, designers seemingly gave the roadster a specific rear-end design. What's certain is that Mulliner again prepared a two-door sports car; this isn't an SUV or a sedan. Bentley's twin-turbocharged W12 engine hasn't reached the end of the line yet. Whatever we're looking at, it's powered by what the firm calls the most powerful version of the 12-cylinder. The last car to make this claim is the Batur, whose W12 developed 730 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. It's unclear whether the Batur and the new car will share bragging rights or if the upcoming model will be even more powerful. Regardless, it'll be one of the last cars powered by the W12, according to Bentley. It's not the last, however; there's more coming. Production will be limited to 16 units globally, and each one will presumably come with a base price pegged above the seven-digit threshold before customization options enter the equation. Bentley will unveil the mysterious model on May 7, so more details should emerge soon. Related video: Our Bentley Continental GT First Edition is here | Behind the Wheel S01 // E05

What the heck is a Poker Run? And why did I do one in W12 Bentleys?

Looking for something more interesting to do with your car-loving friends than just standing around a parking lot on Saturday mornings drinking coffee? How about a poker run? Never heard of one? Neither had I until I received an invitation to drive a variety of W12-powered Bentleys on a “poker run” tour of greater Los Angeles. To be clear, you do not need Bentleys to do this, nor do you need to cycle through a variety of cars. You also donÂ’t really need to know how to play poker, which is good, since my knowledge of the game begins and ends with watching the crew of the Enterprise play it on “Star Trek.” This is what happens. Craft a four-stop route of wherever you may live or visit. Coffee or lunch stop, scenic overlook, tourist spot, friendÂ’s mansion, whatever. In this particular poker run, we would be going from the chic Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica (did I mention we were driving Bentleys?) to the Griffith Observatory by way of Beverly Hills, the Sunset Strip and Hollywood. WeÂ’d then drive across Highway 101 (an interstate-style road at this point in L.A.) to the Topanga Overlook in Woodland Hills, down to the Cross Creek plaza in Malibu, and out through the Santa Monica Mountains to Calamigos Ranch for lunch. You can see the route map here. Was it the most dynamic drive in the world? No, but we saw some stuff. And at each stop, plus at the start, we drew a card from a standard deck. With W12 Bentley branding on them no less. With a fifth and final card drawn at Calamigos, we discarded one to craft the best hand possible. The winner in this case would receive the first press loan of the limited-edition Bentayga Speed Edition 12, but you could make the prize whatever you want. I knew enough about poker (thanks Commander Riker) to know that my hand was probably not going to get it done despite an ace of diamonds and a joker. My other choices were 10 of diamonds, two of hearts and five of clubs. And no, bluffing isnÂ’t allowed even if it could be worked into this. Sure enough, I did not win. It was a fun way to spend the day, though, and an idea IÂ’ll try again sometime with friends. IÂ’m guessing we wonÂ’t be in a colorful collection of Bentleys, though, which is of course the other part of this story. You see, the venerable 12-cylinder Bentley is going away after 2024.

Lamborghini and Bentley rack up record sales in 2022

Sister companies Lamborghini and Bentley independently announced that they set a sales record in 2022. Both firms posted a big increase in deliveries, and their announcement comes shortly after Bugatti and Rolls-Royce released their own record-breaking 2022 sales figures. Lamborghini delivered 9,233 cars in 2022, an increase of 10% over 2021 (which was a record year as well). Its best-selling model is the Urus, which accounted for 5,367 deliveries (a 7% increase over 2022). That's not surprising; SUVs sell well. What's rather stunning is that Huracan deliveries soared by 20% to 3,113 examples in 2022. Finally, Lamborghini delivered the last 753 examples of the Aventador. Geographically, the United States remains Lamborghini's biggest market; the company delivered 2,721 cars there in 2022 (an increase of 10% over 2021). China takes second place with 1,018 deliveries (up 9%) followed by Germany (808 cars; up 14%), the United Kingdom (650 cars; up by 15%), and Japan (546 cars; up 22%). All told, deliveries in the EMEA region(Europe, Middle East and Africa) jumped by 7% to 3,484 cars. The company's outlook for 2023 is bright. It will notably unveil the Aventador's hotly-anticipated successor, and the yet-unnamed model will stand out as its first series-produced hybrid model. Its historic factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, will keep busy as well. "We now have the opportunity to focus on our next objectives also thanks to an 18-month waiting list," said company boss Stephan Winkelmann. While it's too early to tell if 2023 will be another record year for Lamborghini, executives stress that they want to keep the company's growth in check. The aim isn't to rival, say, BMW in terms of volume. "The idea will always be to have one car less than demand," Andrea Baldi, the head of the Americas region for Lamborghini, told Autoblog in 2022. "We will never become unexclusive. That is a promise." Bentley is celebrating for many of the same reasons: It sold 15,174 cars in 2022, an increase of 4% over 2021 and its first annual result above the 15,000-unit mark. Here again, there are some interesting surprises hidden in the numbers. Its best-seller was the Bentayga, it represented 42% of the firm's sales, and 2022 was the big SUV's most popular year — that's an impressive feat for a car released in 2015. The Continental GT range represented 30% of sales and the Speed variant accounted for 31% of those. The Flying Spur represented the remaining 28%.