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Bentley Continental GT 'Ultratank' makes tracks in Russia. Literally

When the automotive news cycle last turned its attention to Russia, it was to celebrate the maniacs who'd linked three cheap four-cylinder engines to create a 12-cylinder Lada. Our newest visit to the motherland is for the diametric opposite: a first-generation Bentley Continental GT placed on a custom set of heavy duty tracks. Created by Russian YouTube channel AcademeG, the navy blue mutant is called the Ultratank, and its waiting for its close-up in the Akira sequel. Chronicling the build began last August, sometime after AcademeG's presenter bought the cheapest Continental GT he could find. Seems that kind of purchase is a cautionary tale in Russia as much as it is here, because the Bentley's 6.0-liter, twin-turbo W12 needed a list of expensive repairs, starting with new turbos. It appears that was the cue to throw out the whole engine, drivetrain, and frame. AcademeG took the coupe to Swap-Point, who replaced the stock motor with Toyota's Japanese-market 4.3-liter V8 used in the Toyota Crown Majesta, Celsior, and Soarer and Lexus GS, LS, and SC 430. The engine sends power to a solid rear axle only through a torque converter automatic. From there, the twist is transferred to a set of heavy vehicle tracks measuring 98.4 inches long. The Bentley's passenger tub and upper portions mostly survived the transformation, but tube-frame construction replaced the stock architecture front and rear. Nine months later, the Ultratank has taken its first steps. The Russians took their baby into the woods to play, and - watched by some goats and shepherds - proved they got it mostly right in spite of a few issues. Running on treads is often done best in low revs, but the engine doesn't like low revs. There wasn't enough tension on the tracks, and the rubber nubs aligning the tracks with the wheels aren't substantial enough, so the tracks rolled off the wheels during hard cornering. And there are no brakes. Slowing down requires sawing at the wheel, which brakes the inside tread as the Ultratank starts to turn. Even so, the vehicle and the test were declared a success. The team will tune the engine, add doors and tweak the tracks, but according to YouTube's Russian translation, "everything is simply ideal." You can check out the entire build while awaiting updates on the next big changes, including a higher top speed: The Ultratank tops out at 31 miles per hour now, and AcademeG wants to double that.

Bentley lays out EV and PHEV plans through 2030

Bentley has been steadily dripping details on its electrification plans through the rest of the decade. It's going fully electric and carbon neutral by 2030, and its first all-electric car is coming in 2025. Today, the company provided a few more details on its electric product rollout and how it will start phasing out internal combustion cars. That first electric car is coming toward the end of 2025, so it's probably a 2026 model year vehicle, and it's reportedly going to be an SUV. It's also just the start of a big electric push. The next five years after that car's introduction will bring another new fully electric model each year. Those electric models will probably include new generations of existing nameplates such as the Continental GT and Bentayga, but at least one, possibly the first one, will be an as-yet-unnamed machine. Furthermore, Bentley will continue building these cars at the Crewe, England, facility where it's investing 2.5 billion pounds, or nearly $3.4 billion. Until the first EV arrives, Bentley will be expanding its hybrid offerings, with a few new hybrid variants of existing models coming this year. By 2024, all Bentley models and variants will be available with a plug-in hybrid option. By 2026, all of Bentley's cars with internal combustion engines will be plug-in hybrids.    

Bentley's idea of future luxury includes holographic butler

Anybody can daydream, and British carmaker Bentley is no exception. Their vision of an autonomous luxury car is taken so far into the future that it will come with a hologram of a butler. This isn't just a fan-made, Photoshopped image designed to stir a little fantasy, but an official image released by Bentley depicting what their cars might look twenty years from now. The "Future of Luxury" concept image is the work of Bentley's design team, headed by German Stefan Sielaff. Sielaff has worked with Audi and Volkswagen interior design for decades, with a short interim over at Mercedes-Benz's Interior Competence Center. Sielaff has been at Bentley since 2015, and his team is hard at work conceiving the direction of luxury cars in the semi-distant future. Even if Bentley is traditionally closer to Alec Guinness than Princess Leia, a holographic interface is an interesting glimpse into the science fiction thought process of today's car design. Other touches seen in the interior concept image have to do with mood lighting, screensaver-style images displayed on the side panels, and a touchscreen music interface that appears to display Beck's 2005 album Guero. Still, 2036 isn't that far in the future that a Bentley passenger wouldn't take the time to write a few letters by hand. Related Video: Featured Gallery Bentley Future of Luxury Concept Auto News Design/Style Bentley Technology Emerging Technologies Gadgets Infotainment Concept Cars Future Vehicles Luxury