2012 Bentley Mulsanne. Low Miles. Silver Over Linen. Bentley San Diego on 2040-cars

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Bentley introduces tweed interior trim option for all models

Attention Bentley shoppers: Tweed is now on the menu. The woolen fabric can now be specced in any of its models (Bentayga, Flying Spur or Continental GT) as interior door trim as a replacement for whatever wood, metals or stone(!) you would have there normally. It’s so delightfully British in the best possible way. You can pick between four different tweed patterns. HereÂ’s how Bentley describes them: “Cheltenham, with its countryside greens, offers a more traditional choice for customers whereas Glen Plaid–Tolsta Beach, named after the shores of the rugged Outer Hebrides, makes a confident statement with its bold check pattern. Providing a more subtle, contemporary choice, the Charcoal and Sand Herringbone tweeds complement dark and light interiors respectively on the two-door and four-door Grand Tourers.” The Glen Plaid-Tolsta Beach is our favorite with Cheltenham coming in at a close second. Both Herringbone trims are still cool, but the checked pattern really pops. It feels right at home in such an elegant and luxurious interior. Bentley says itÂ’s sourcing the tweed from a Scottish distributor named Lovat Mill. ItÂ’s made using sustainable processes, furthering BentleyÂ’s goals of minimizing its carbon footprint. If you want tweed in your new Bentley, youÂ’ll need to order it through Mulliner, BentleyÂ’s bespoke commissioning division. ItÂ’ll be expensive, but what else did you expect? This isnÂ’t the first time weÂ’ve seen tweed featured in Bentley products before. The stunning Mulliner Bacalar used tweed extensively throughout its interior, going so far as to use it on the instrument panel, seats and bespoke luggage set. You canÂ’t get that much tweed in the rest of BentleyÂ’s range, but itÂ’s a lovely touch nonetheless. Related Video:

Bentley unveils 202-mph Continental GT Speed Convertible

That purple haze all in your eyes is the 2013 Bentley GT Speed Convertible. The cynical view is, "Bah, take a GT Speed and cut the top off. There. Pass the salt, please...". But when you're Bentley, more than 90 years old, and charging these kinds of ducats, there's no reason to take the cynic's shortcut. So of course the GT Speed Convertible gets all of the Speed-family accoutrements: matrix radiator grille hiding a twin-turbocharged, 6.0-liter W12 with 616 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, eight-speed ZF transmission enabling 15 percent better fuel economy, beefier lowered suspension, larger rifled exhaust tips, inlet manifold finished in black crackle and a Mulliner Driving Specification cabin.
Among the many refinements added to the convertible, though, are neck warmers in the seats, the 21-inch wheels unique to this car, class-leading stiffness - admittedly, it's a very small class, but its torsional rigidity of 22,500 Nm/degree is only 500 Nm below that of the Lamborghini Gallardo coupe. The stiffening required to achieve that number will undoubtedly have something to do with the 485-pound weight gain over the GT Speed Coupe.
Still, when the GT Speed Convertible weighs 5,500 pounds, what's a few hundred between friends? More importantly, the weight doesn't scuttle performance: 0-60 comes in 4.1 seconds, a tenth shy of the coupe. The gap stretches as you approach The Ton, the GT Speed Convertible needing just 9.7 seconds to get there, the coupe just nine seconds. Trust us, though, everyone will be too busy blasting along to notice. Everyone will want to pack light, however, because the Speed Convertible loses 3.5 cubic feet of trunk space. It remains the fastest four-seat convertible in the world with a 202-mph top speed.

Bentley Azure could return for limited edition

Once upon a time, Bentley had two convertibles in its lineup – there was the Continental GTC, which you can still enjoy today, and the Azure, which you can't. The bigger offering, based on the Arnage sedan, went out of production several years back, much to the disappointment of those with ostentatious tastes and bottomless pockets. But if Wolfgang Durheimer has his way, the 20-plus-year-old nameplate could return in a limited run based on the Mulsanne. The last Azure demanded ridiculous wealth to purchase, but this new model would be on an entirely different level. According to Car and Driver, Durheimer said a reborn Azure "would be built in [a batch of] 20 units and sold to absolute connoisseurs at a very high price." He stopped short of actually confirming the vehicle or its cost, but that hasn't stopped Car and Driver from suggesting a price of $1 to $1.5 million per vehicle. The timing here is fascinating, largely because Bentley's arch-rival, Rolls-Royce, is preparing to phase out its Phantom Drophead Coupe – the Mulsanne Convertible's most natural rival – due to slow sales. Whatever this limited-edition vehicle is called, it'd be all on its own. This is not the first time this particular rumor has cropped up. In his first tour as Bentley CEO, Durheimer brought a full-size convertible, called the Mulsanne Vision (shown above) to Pebble Beach in 2012. The idea was shelved by his successor, Wolfgang Schreiber, in 2013. But with Durheimer back in his old position in Crewe (and heading up efforts at Bugatti, too), it wasn't long before Bentley was back in the convertible Mulsanne game with the Grand Convertible, a Speed-based droptop. When the Grand Convertible debuted, we said the company is "watching customer reaction to the car." And the press release says the luxury droptop was "developed to signify Bentley's intentions for the future." Consider this most recent story a reinforcement of that report, then. News Source: Car and DriverImage Credit: Bentley Bentley Convertible Luxury Performance wolfgang durheimer bentley azure bentley grand convertible