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On any given Sunday, there'll be a Bentley racing somewhere

Most of us would regard Bentley more as a luxury marque than a racing one. Sure, it dominated Le Mans in the 1920s with five wins (four of them consecutively), but that was a long time ago. It won again in 2003, but that was an exception – right? Bentley doesn't actually race much anymore, does it? The short answer is: yes, yes it does. The automaker rolled out the Continental GT3 a few years ago, following sister companies Porsche, Audi, and Lamborghini into the category. Now you may be scoffing something along the lines of "yeah but it's only GT3," but while you're doing that, Bentley Motorsport is steadily ramping up its racing program. This year we'll be able to see Contis racing in "more than 90 top-level GT races around the world." Count out the off-season that's now drawing to an end as the racing season gears up and you're talking about two races every week. Yeah, that's right: Bentley will, on average, be competing in two races each week somewhere in the world. Those races will be part of series like the Pirelli World Challenge here in America, the Blancpain Endurance Series in Europe, the ADAC GT Masters in Germany, the British GT Championship, and the GT Asia series. So wherever you live, there's bound to be a race coming up where you'll be able to see the Continental GT3 racing towards the finish line. Of course the Bentley Team M-Sport works squad won't be contesting all of those races itself. It has an array of customer and partner teams lined up for series around the world. Instead of fielding, for instance, a works entry in the Nurburgring 24 Hours this year, it'll deligate to the Bentley Team Abt Sportsline. But that's just one of the 90 races in which the Continental GT3 will compete this season, and we're looking forward to seeing how it fares in each. Related Video: BENTLEY ANNOUNCES LARGEST RACE PROGRAMME YET - Bentley Motorsport races across the globe in 2016 - Works team adds Blancpain Sprint Series to calendar - Wolfgang Reip becomes latest Bentley Boy 22 March 2016, Crewe – Bentley Motorsport will contest more than 90 top-level GT races around the world in 2016, as both its works and customer team programmes expand. The Bentley Team M-Sport works outfit will now enter the full Blancpain GT Series and welcomes Wolfgang Reip to the Blancpain Endurance Series line-up.

The Windsor Castle Concours d'Elegance in pictures, courtesy of Bentley

Bentley went to the Windsor Castle Concours of Elegance as the main sponsor and showed off six of its best among the gathering of "60 of the finest motor cars in the world," including the 4¼-liter Bentley 'Embiricos' Special built for a Greek shipping magnate and gentleman racer in the 1930s.
Even better, for us at least, is that when Bentley decided to capture the moment it took pictures of most of the metal on the lawn, not just the Bentleys. Thanks to that, we have a high-res gallery that's home to rarities like the Vauxhall 30-98 Type OE Boattail Wensum Tourer, beauties like the Bugatti Type 57S Atalante, long-tail Ford GT40, Maserati Tipo 60 Birdcage, Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato, a sinister Ferrari 250 GTO and the even more sinister Rolls-Royce Phantom Aerodynamic Coupe, among others. All you need to do now is click and enjoy.

Bentley expands hybrid lineup to Bentaya S and Azure models

People often joke that buyers of ultra-luxury vehicles from Rolls-Royce and Bentley don’t care about gas prices, but even if thatÂ’s true, a lot of people still may not want to own the rolling embodiment of earthÂ’s impending doom. Rolls-Royce will go all-electric by 2030, and its British rivals at Bentley are hard at work on the brandÂ’s first EV, expected by 2025. In the meantime, the Brits at Bentley have come up with hybrid powertrains, and the automaker recently announced an expansion of hybrid options for its only SUV, the Bentayga. The automaker says that 100 percent of Bentayga Hybrid owners use their SUVs in full electric mode, with half staying within the vehicleÂ’s electric range. The Bentayga S and Azure are now available with hybrid powertrains, meaning half of BentleyÂ’s lineup is electrified. Rather than focusing solely on improving efficiency, Bentley implemented a plug-in hybrid system that offers up to 27 all-electric miles of range, a 6-percent surge in power, and a 15-percent improvement in torque. The Bentayga S Hybrid, for example, delivers 455 horsepower. All Bentaygas get almost 300 pound-feet of torque just from the electric motor. All Bentayga hybrids come with a 3.0-liter V6, and Bentley says that the S Hybrid can reach 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standstill in 5.3 seconds. The SUV got 15-percent stiffer dampers that shift damping force based on the selected drive mode, and Bentley says a new Hybrid Sports Exhaust “brings a stirring symphony of sound within the cabin.” It sounds a lot like fake engine noises to us, and Bentley notes that the sounds can be adjusted differently for front and rear passengers. The Bentayga Azure Hybrid is a more luxury-focused variant that features intense noise-canceling technologies and unique interior touches to improve comfort and a sense of well-being. The Azure is up to 26-percent quieter than its rivals on the road, and Bentley says it tuned the SUV to deliver 27 percent fewer vibrations. Buyers can choose from 15 different interior materials and color combinations, and 22-inch 10-spoke wheels come standard.