2013 Bentley Gtc V8 on 2040-cars

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2014 Bentley Flying Spur

Redefining Super Luxury On A Shrinking Planet
Anyone on Earth with access to the Internet, a television or radio for the last 20 years knows that China is no longer the poor stronghold for strict Communist ideals that it was for much of the 20th Century. (Well, at least not in some places.) Traveling to China twice in less than a month - first to Shanghai for a very international auto show and now to Beijing to drive and review the 2014 Bentley Flying Spur - I've learned that there's no lack of personal wealth, at least in two of the world's largest cities.
And yet, even I think the scene before me is a little bit ridiculous. Here I am, slowly climbing up a hillside to reach a fortification at something called Zhuanduo Pass, where roughly a dozen pristine examples of Western decadence sit idling their hand-built 12-cylinder engines in the shadow of China's revered and awesome Great Wall. Not five kilometers south of here, I'd passed an old man in traditional all-black garb, literally carrying a bundle of sticks on his back from one side of a village to the other. Now as I look through the snug-fitting and silent side glass of the my $200,000+ palace on wheels, I'm more apt to see fat German tourists crisping in the hot Chinese sun while blowing the equivalent of an average Chinese monthly paycheck on lunch and a few Great Wall souvenirs.

Ducati Diavel for Bentley is the first collaboration between the brands

Sister companies Ducati and Bentley have joined forces for the first time to create a limited-edition version of the Diavel motorcycle. Inspired by the Batur, which is also a limited-edition model, the bike stands out with an elegant design that incorporates several Bentley styling cues. Although this is the first time Bentley's winged logo appears on a Ducati, it's not the first car-themed Diavel to come out of the Italian brand's design studio; it collaborated with Lamborghini on a Sian FKP 37-inspired 1260 Diavel in November 2020. Drawing inspiration from the sold-out Batur, designers added mesh inserts and red accents to the side air intakes, edition-specific fairing made with carbon fiber, and forged wheels shaped like the ones Bentley put on its limited-edition coupe. Scarab Green paint from the Bentley palette completes the look. The rider sits on an Alcantara-upholstered seat with red accents that echoes the Batur's interior and faces a redesigned instrument cluster. Ducati notes that buyers will receive the bike in a personalized wood case along with a certificate of authenticity, a motorcycle cover, and a passenger seat. The two companies also collaborated on a range of accessories that includes a helmet and a limited-edition jacket. Fitting the Diavel with Bentley's 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 engine seemingly wasn't an option, so power comes from a stock, 1.2-liter V4 rated at 168 horsepower and 93 pound-feet of torque. If neither figure sounds impressive, keep in mind the standard Diavel weighs 520 pounds. Put another way, its power-to-weight ratio approaches that of a Bugatti Chiron. It's the two-wheel equivalent of a supercar. Ducati will build 500 units of the Diavel for Bentley. If that's not rare enough, it will make 50 additional examples of a version named Diavel for Bentley Mulliner that's reserved for Bentley customers. They'll notably have a broader scope of customization options to choose from. Featured Gallery Ducati Diavel for Bentley View 29 Photos Design/Style Bentley Motorcycle Luxury Performance

Bentley Bentayga V8 Design Series embraces the darkness

It is a truism that designers love the color black, and the hue features prominently in the Bentley Bentayga V8 Design Series. Outside, the Design Series comes standard with the Bentayga's optional Blackline package, which includes black trim, black exhaust outlets, and a body-color lower front fascia. The Design Series also gets a special set of seven-spoke Paragon alloy wheels in dark gray. In a trick seen also on — ahem — Rolls-Royce, the wheels feature self-leveling center badges, which means the "B" is never at an incorrect angle. Designers hate that. While the exterior is offered in colors other than black, the interior comes exclusively in black (Bentley's "Beluga"), but with a contrasting accent color — red, orange, white, or blue — that runs across the dash and on the sides of the center console. It is also seen in the seat leather perforations and in the binding of the deep-pile floor mats. Carbon-fiber trim on the dashboard and door panels has a special diamond-weave pattern, while gloss-black center console trim provides still more blackness. A Breitling clock in the dash is not black — it has a mother-of-pearl face. Other included goodies are "Comfort" seats, door sills with an illuminated "Bentley" treadplate, and drilled-alloy pedals. The Design Series is exclusive to the eight-cylinder Bentayga, which is powered by a 542-hp V8. We'd say that buyers of the 12-cylinder model or the Bentayga Hybrid are out of luck but they can probably lean on Bentley's Mulliner in-house customizing operation to approximate something close. But then, if you're going the full Mulliner route, why not get a little more imaginative? Maybe with something like the Bentayga for falconry or this paean to fly fishing? Just be sure to spec those self-leveling wheels — after all, one's B should always be upright.