2012 Bentley Continental Gt Onyx Naim Audio Massage Vented Seats 21" 7-spoke on 2040-cars

Auto blog

First new Bentley Blower built since 1930 is now being tested

Just over a year after announcing the program, Bentley has finished building its first Blower car since 1930. It's called "Car Zero" since it's not one of the 12 customer cars. Instead, this first car is a prototype that will undergo testing before the customer cars begin production. Bentley says this car took 40,000 hours to complete. The company figured out how to build it based on existing tooling and blueprints, as well as laser scans of the components in the company's 1929 race car on which the continuation models will be based. The company collaborated with a variety of outside companies for help with the frame, radiator shroud and leaf springs. The frame was built by a company that builds and restores boilers for steam engines. Bentley itself also built a custom stand so it could hook up the recreated 4.5-liter supercharged four-cylinder to its modern-day engine dynamometers for break-in. Now that this prototype has been completed, Bentley will begin testing it for durability. The planned testing should recreate just under 22,000 miles of regular driving and nearly 5,000 miles of track driving. The company will also do a top speed run with it. Once testing is complete, Bentley will start building the 12 customer cars, all of which have been sold and specified. While many are likely excited about this new Bentley, there are a handful of car enthusiasts that probably don't share the excitement. Earlier this year, several of these wealthy enthusiasts, including fashion mogul Ralph Lauren, sent a letter to Bentley expressing concerns that these continuation cars will reduce the value, both monetary and intrinsic, of the original cars. The complaint obviously hasn't had an effect on Bentley's plans. Related Video:

New Bentley Flying Spur will be first Bentley with four-wheel steering

We just got a bundle of details about the new Bentley Flying Spur. Among them is, finally, an official reveal date of June 11. Besides that, the Flying Spur features the latest driving technologies from other current Bentleys, as well as a first for the brand. The company revealed that the luxury sedan will be the first Bentley to get four-wheel steering. It will operate similarly to other systems from other brands, in which the rear wheels will turn slightly in the opposite direction of the front wheels at low speed for maneuverability, and at high speed the rear wheels will turn slightly with the front wheels for extra stability. The Flying Spur also picks up features from other current Bentleys. It gets an all-wheel-drive system that now sends all its power to the rear wheels unless the front wheels start to slip. It will also have the Bentley Dynamic Ride suspension that includes anti-roll bars that are constantly adjusted via a 48-volt electrical system. And of course we get a little visual teaser of the car with a video. It seems to confirm the slightly more blunt look predicted by an earlier teaser. Stay tuned for the full reveal in a couple of weeks.

Bentley will now sell you a model Continental GT for over $9,000

Bentley just announced a 1:8 scale Continental GT model car that costs GBP6,995. That’s $9,123 for a toy. But really, is the cost all that bad? A 1:1 scale Bentley Continental GT V8 (you know, the real thing) has a base price of about $220,000. One-eighth of that is a whopping $27,500. Bentley is surely leaving some money on the table here. OK, sure, you could buy a couple of old Miatas for the same price as this model car. But thatÂ’s not the gift that the one percenters want to give to their children at Christmas. No, an exact replica of the Bentley Continental GT in the garage is a much more applicable gift in that situation. Bentley will reproduce your Bentley or make anything else you can imagine with these 1:8 scale models, too. Customers will need to commission their own car, just like theyÂ’re buying a full-size Bentley.  You choose the colors of the paint, exterior trim, seats, interior stitching, trim veneers, wheels, leather and a number of other materials going into the car. Every last option is matched to an option available on the actual car, so there will be zero differences between the model and full scale car. The Bentley Design Studio oversees the creation of every car to ensure complete accuracy. Over 1,000 pieces are put together by hand to build it. Bentley says each car takes about 300 hours to complete. (Rolls-Royce offers a similar model of the Cullinan that takes 450 hours to build.) Each Bentley will sit on a “majestic varnished plinth.” The car itself measures 30.7 inches in length, 15.7 inches in width and 9.6 inches in height. Smaller, pre-made models are available for far less cash, too. You can pick up a 1:43 model for $110 and a 1:64 model goes for just $15. If uh, you want the $9,123 model, the link to place an order is right here. Bentley recommends using the actual Continental GT configurator to personalize the model. Regardless of price, that is extremely cool. Related Video: