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Bentley readying four-door coupe for 2018

Bentley purists have probably been tearing their hair out since we got our first glimpse of the EXP 9 F SUV Concept. "A Bentley SUV? " you could almost hear them saying, incredulous to the idea that an automaker actually wants to make money. Now, word is that the British brand might be jumping on the four-door-coupe bandwagon. The car, which would slot in below the Continental GT, and act as the new base model, would compete with the BMW M6 Gran Coupe and Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG, according to Car.
Size-wise, Car thinks it'd be in line with the Continental GT, at just over 15.5 feet long. It'd wear a price tag of 125,000 to 150,000 euro, which converts to $168,650 to $202,380. In reality, the US-spec baby Bentley would need to retail for no more than $130,000 to $170,000 if it wanted to truly capture the M6, Porsche Panamera and CLS63 crowd. Speaking of that Porsche, Car thinks the Bentley will ride on the same platform.
As is pointed out, the question of which platform this new model will ride on is an important one. The two possibilities are the D5 architecture of the next Audi A8 or the MSB platform, which will underpin the next-generation Panamera. Expect a 3.0-liter V6 and a 4.0-liter V8, both of which will receive special outfittings for duty in the Bentley, when it arrives in 2018. What do you think? Is there room in the Bentley family for a car below the Continental GT V8, and if so, is a four-door coupe the right choice? Let us know down in Comments.

Bentley will build 1929 Team Blower continuation series of 12 cars

Bentley considers Sir Tim Birkin’s supercharged 4 1/2 -liter Team Blower race car to be the company's "most revered heritage car" ever. So revered, in fact, that Bentley wants to make the car again, 12 times over. With the help of some reverse engineering by Mulliner, Bentley has announced its intentions for an extremely special continuation series limited to only a dozen examples built nearly identical to the original.  Through various methods, Bentley has been celebrating its heritage all throughout 2019, the centenary of the brand's founding. Just in the summer months, Bentley released the third-gen Flying Spur, unveiled the EXP 100 GT autonomous electric concept, built a Continental GT convertible that honors the 1929 Blower Number 1, won Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours, and re-created 1939 Corniche sedan with the help of Mulliner. That last achievement is particularly relevant, as Mulliner typically crafts bespoke new cars, as opposed to building old ones. After successfully bringing the Corniche into the 21st century, however, Bentley is confident Mulliner can take on the complex task of rebuilding the legendary Team Blower.  Bentley claims this will be the world's first continuation of a pre-war race car, and the original production run didn't even make it to double digits. Only four Team Blowers were built for Birkin and the boys to race, which they did at Le Mans and all over Europe. Bentley is building 12 re-creations because that's how many races the original cars competed in. In order to take this project on, Bentley will disassemble Team Blower chassis No. HB 3404 down to its nuts and bolts. The parts will all be cataloged and 3D scanning of each individual piece will create the foundation for the new cars. Bentley will then combine use of the original 1920s molds and tooling jigs with modern manufacturing methods to create 12 identical sets of parts. The new cars will be as close to identical to the original car as possible, but current safety regulations will force Bentley to make a few changes and alterations. Under the hood, the Continuation Series cars will have 16-valve four-cylinder engines with aluminum crankcases, cast-iron cylinder liners, and non-detachable cast-iron cylinder heads. With the help of Amherst Villiers Mk IV roots-type supercharger replicas, the 4,398 cc engines will be rated at 240 bhp at 4,200 rpm.

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