2007 Bentley Continental Gtc Silver/portland on 2040-cars

Auto blog

For a pot of gold, you could have this Bentley Mulliner Bacalar

You’re looking at the winning entry in an online competition Bentley held recently for colleagues and their families to design their own Mulliner Bacalar, a two-seat roadster of which only 12 will be built. No, there are no plans to build this one, and the rainbow motif on the livery is a nod to the symbol of hope during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, itÂ’s fun to imagine the head-turning you could do driving it. WeÂ’re told only that the winning design comes from someone named Eleanor, and Bentley adds the disclaimer that “anyone is able to imagine their dream specification from BentleyÂ’s unrivaled spectrum of interior and exterior colours,” so technically, we guess itÂ’s possible that one of the customers whoÂ’ve signed up for one could order this for production. There are also lots of other ways to customize the topless car, inside and out. The colors in the rainbow include Dragon Red II, which features on the launch of the Continental GT V8 back in 2012, and the Orange Flame used to introduce the Bentayga Speed more recently. Bentley used Yellow Flame to launch the Bacalar.  Bentley also held a contest for interior design but hasn't yet shared that winning entry.  The competition was judged by design boss Stefan Sielaff, who previously told Autoblog about how the Bacalar coachbuilding project grew out of requests from well-heeled customers for an ultra-exclusive, customizable product and arrived in just nine months. Inspired by the EXP 100 GT electric concept, the Bacalar uses a 650-horsepower 6.0-liter W12 engine. All 12 are already spoken for at a reported starting price of a cool $2 million. Related Video:    

Audi: record profit as 'biggest product initiative' in its history gets underway

Audi Group CEO Markus Duesmann   Even as the Audi Group (VOW.DE), VW’s luxury division, is in the midst of a huge EV transformation it still needs to perform where it counts — the bottom line. And so it is doing just that.  On Thursday the Audi Group - which is dominated volume-wise by Audi, but also includes Bentley, Lamborghini, and Ducati - posted record revenue and operating profit in 2022. That shouldnÂ’t be a surprise given what the industry has been seeing at the highest end of the market - record performances despite macroeconomic jitters across the globe. But that it's happening as the group is noteworthy.  “We are on the verge of the biggest product initiative in our history,” Audi Group CEO Markus Duesmann said at a news conference earlier on Thursday. “By 2025, we will have launched around 20 new models, more than 10 of which will be all-electric. We have set the course to go 100% electric. By 2027, we seek to offer an all-electric vehicle in each core segment.”   This is all part of Audi GroupÂ’s Vorsprung 2030 plan, which seeks to have all of the groupÂ’s new models be electric by 2026 — and to end traditional gas-powered engine production by 2033. To that end, the group saw EV deliveries jump 44% (in 2022) compared to 2021 to over 118,000 vehicles, with the share of EVs rising to 7.2% from 4.8% in the prior year. Audi is also launching its first EV using the PPE (premium platform electric), which was developed together with Porsche. That EV, the Audi Q6 e-tron, will be unveiled later this year. (Past Audi EVs shared corporate parent VWÂ’s electric platform.) “With the Audi Q6 e-tron, e-mobility is coming from Ingolstadt (Audi HQ) for the first time,” Duesmann said in a statement. “To this end, weÂ’re also building a dedicated battery assembly facility on site. This will enable us to retain important know-how here in Germany and train our employees in future fields.” AudiÂ’s German rivals of course are also leaning in hard on their EV transformations. That makes it all the more important that Audi get its EV strategy right—and launched in a timely manner.

Bentley rolls out Shaheen edition Mulsanne in Dubai

Bentley doesn't do quite as many special editions for local markets as Rolls-Royce does, and when it does, they're usually based on the Continental range. But the new Shaheen edition which Bentley unveiled at the Dubai Motor Show is based on its flagship sedan, the Mulsanne.
Named for and inspired by the Shaheen eagle, the special Mulsanne is distinguished by two-tone Tungsten and Onyx paint, with Magnolia and Beluga leather and dark burr walnut trim inside. It comes already upgraded to the Mulliner Driving Specification, which includes 21-inch alloys, diamond-quilted leather and adjustable suspension and steering.
Of course there are special logos inside and out, and sheikhs ponying up the unspecified premium can also opt for iPad picnic tables, onboard wifi, glass sunroof and a bottle cooler for chilling the champagne that, somewhat ironically, is haram - forbidden under Sharia law that governs many of the countries where Bentley is selling this car.