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40+ cars that barely avoid the gas guzzler tax

The Gas Guzzler schedule, with mpg ratings and charges that haven't changed since 1991, lays out which fuel-swillers owe what to Uncle Sam.
I started thinking about the "Gas Guzzler Tax" - considerably less well known as The Energy Tax Act of 1978 - when I was driving Dodge's new Challenger SRT Hellcat last week. Unsurprisingly for a car that can burn 1.5 gallons of gas per minute at max tilt, theoretically able to empty a full tank of premium in about 13 minutes, the Hellcat will be subject to the Gas Guzzler Tax schedule when it goes on sale.

And the first Bentley Bentayga goes to... Queen Elizabeth II

The Bentley Bentayga aims to be a lot of things to a select few people. But as the world's fastest, most powerful, and (arguably) most luxurious SUV on the market, it could all boil down to bragging rights for some. So who will get to enjoy the privilege of receiving the very first one? Probably the one person in the world who needs to brag the least: Queen Elizabeth II. The sovereign monarch of the United Kingdom (and more current and former commonwealth countries than we care to count) already rides around in a Bentley State Limousine specially made for the purpose and based on the old Arnage. But she'll now be adding a new Bentayga to her royal motorpool, using it specifically to go hunting at one of her estates in Scotland. She does, after all, own several in the country – including the official Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and (more likely) her private Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire. Wherever she chooses to drive it, that's got to hurt for Jaguar Land Rover. The rival British automaker has been supplying the royal family with Range Rovers for years. Then again, both companies – alongside Aston Martin and Vauxhall – all hold royal warrants for supplying goods to Her Majesty. Given how many vehicles the royal family must own (and how the Queen has been known to drive herself about), we're sure there's room for all of Britain's finest. Watch Bentley's American CEO Michael Winkler discuss the Bentayga with a spitting image of Rob Cordry in the video above from Bloomberg. Related Video:

Bentley announces new S package for Continental GT, GT C

As Bentley's Continental lineup soldiers on dutifully toward a world without big internal combustion engines, Bentley is doing its best to soften the blow for fans of barrel-chested power. While the W12 may be on its way out the door, Bentley's V8 Continental GT and GT C are getting a little extra spark in the form of a new driving-oriented S package that borrows some interior and exterior queues from the Speed series.  "Owners of Bentley’s two-door models have long appreciated the breadth of choice available to them, from the towering performance of the 6.0-litre W12 Continental GT Speed to the characterful beat of the 4.0-litre Continental GT V8," Bentley said in its announcement. "Now, with the arrival of the Continental GT and GTC S, owners can choose to emphasize the sporting character of the 4.0-liter V8-powered Bentley Continental GT, thanks to a package of performance-focused design and engineering features." Bentley says the S package is for those who are focused on driving pleasure. Standard equipment includes a sport exhaust (the better to announce the presence of that 542-horsepower V8) and Bentley Dynamic Ride, along with a set of 22-inch wheels that are unique to the S model. Inside, the upgraded sport seats bear "S" embroidery, and the dark theme employed on the exterior accents continues on the dash and upholstery. The instrument cluster graphics are unique, as well.  "The new S range adjusts the Bentley grand touring recipe to center on the pleasure of driving – an opposing yet complementary emphasis to the 'Wellbeing behind the Wheel' concept of the recent, comfort-centric Azure range launch," Bentley said.  Related video: Our Bentley Continental GT First Edition is here | Behind the Wheel S01 // E05