19 Inch 9-spoke Two-piece Painted Alloy Wheels, 14-way Power Seats, Navi on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Queen Elizabeth needs a new chauffeur - could it be you?

We don't often post job listings here on Autoblog – and especially not ones based overseas. But then it's not every day that a sovereign monarch is in the market for a new chauffeur. Yet that's precisely what we came across, and not just for any monarch, either: this listing is for a chauffeur to drive around the Queen of England. The listing on the official website of the British Monarchy specifies that the job in question – based at the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace – entails working "as part of a busy and supportive team tasked with driving members of the Royal Family, Household officials, guests and official visitors." That means being around some highly distinguished individuals, for what it's worth, but also getting access to some very rare machinery, the likes of which most people will never get close to: namely, the Bentley State Limousine, a vehicle designed and crafted in Crewe, based on the Arnage, specifically for use by Her Majesty and members of the royal household. Don't think that the proximity to one of the wealthiest families and heads of state in the world means the job would be what you might call "lucrative," though: it pays around $35k per year, which includes meals but not the mandatory lodging, the cost of which is deducted from the salary. Of course it is a government job, of sorts, so it comes with full benefits. And then Queen Elizabeth II has been known to drive herself around from time to time, when the mood strikes (and with impunity), so there could be a lot of downtime, too. News Source: The Royal HouseholdImage Credit: Bentley Government/Legal Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Bentley queen elizabeth ii chauffeur queen elizabeth

Gliding on the ice at Bentley's fantasy camp

It was just before 2:00 PM when I landed in Helsinki, bleary-eyed and more than slightly disoriented, after a late-night departure from New York and an early-morning connection in Amsterdam. I was staring at the departures board. There was one more flight to go before I could join Bentley for Power on Ice, its annual ice driving experience in the northerly town of Kuusamo, but there was a problem: There were two HEL-KAO flights on the board, both slated to leave at 4:30, and it was impossible to discern which was Bentley's chartered flight to the alpine ski area. Nonplussed and unable to utter a word in Finnish, I approached a gate agent with rudimentary English to see if she knew which flight was mine. "I'm sorry, sir," she said in an Finnish take on the Omaha dialect, "Your plane does not seem to exist." I winced. Of course it didn't. "My" plane was way out on the tarmac, far away from proletariat jumbo jets, accessible only through a gate that the automaker had staffed and commandeered for the afternoon. It was an auspicious start to three days of attending Bentley's exclusive fantasy camp for its affluent super-fans, which purportedly exists to answer the question: What can you give the Bentley fan who already has everything? For drivers more accustomed to making graceful entries and exits in their posh vehicles, several days of power sliding on a private track more than suffices. You need not be a Bentley owner to participate in the program, but an aficionado of the brand with some cash burning a pretty big hole in the pocket. For the better part of a decade, Bentley has decamped to Kuusamo, the town located just south of the Arctic Circle, to prove the British performance bona-fides of its lineup on 19 square miles of frozen Kuusamojarvi lake, as part of the wintertime Power on Ice event. The program satisfies the need of high-end performance enthusiasts who want something different than arriving at another five-star hotel for another weekend of good eating, drinking, and relaxing. Plenty of brands assert that they have a bespoke answer for discerning customers, but Power on Ice is truly different. You need not be a Bentley owner to participate in the program, but an aficionado of the brand with some cash burning a pretty big hole in the pocket.

Bentley introduces relaxation-focused Azure line of cars

A new line of Bentleys is coming, and it’s called the “Azure” line. No, it's not the reintroduction of the old Azure droptop. Similar to “Speed” or “Mulliner,” all Bentley Azure models have a focus, and this time it's comfort and relaxation. Bentley is planning on offering Azure versions of all of its cars, including Bentayga, Bentayga EWB, Flying Spur, Continental GT and Continental GT Convertible. What an Azure model amounts to is a specific set of equipment designed to enhance long journeys, or to make any kind of journey more relaxing. That being the case, every Azure is equipped with the “Front Seat Comfort Specification” that adds 22-way adjustable seats that are heated, cooled, offer six massage programs and adjustable side bolsters. The seats also use BentleyÂ’s “comfort headrests.” To enhance the ride comfort, Bentley specs all Azures with its 48-volt active anti-roll system that can decouple the roll bars to provide an extra-smooth ride. WeÂ’ve found that this system can enhance handling performance in Bentleys with it, too. You might expect it to be standard in Bentleys, but all Azure models tack on the optional Touring Specification that adds a number of driver assistance features. These include adaptive cruise control, lane-following, a traffic-jam assist feature and “Bentley Safeguard” (automatic emergency braking, emergency lane-change assist and more). Basically, the car is stacked with all of the driver assistance systems in an effort to make road trips better. BentleyÂ’s wellness crusade does not end with tech features, though. “To create the Azure range, we consulted with neuroscientists to understand the interrelationship of color, texture, tactility and even scent to create an atmosphere of relaxed serenity,” says Maria Mulder, Head of Color & Trim at Bentley. “When we see pleasing forms, shapes and colors our brains release chemicals such as dopamine that not only make us feel good but are good for our body and sense of wellbeing. Sensory receptors convert physical stimuli in neural activity, creating changes in our brain and nervous system. Every fabric, sound, motion, color and touch continuously impacts our nervous system and the Azure cabin has been finessed accordingly.” All Azure models get “wellness quilting” that is meant to be particularly pleasing to the eye and encourage touch.