2007 Gtc * 1 Owner, Purchased New Here * on 2040-cars

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The Bentley Flying Spur V8 shows even a basic Bentley is a nice place to be

While it is hard to call any Bentley entry-level, the Flying Spur V8 that's debuting at the Geneva Motor Show is technically the lowest rung among Bentley's four-doors. However, if our experience with the Continental GT V8 is anything to go by - the Spur and the Conti still share a platform, despite the former dropping "Continental" from its branding - the loss of a few cylinders won't harm the overall experience.
The latest model uses the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with cylinder deactivation that produces 500 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque. It is capable of accelerating to 60 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds to a top speed of 183 mph. Power is sent to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission, and it rides on an air suspension.
Buyers wanting a little more luxury (and who doesn't?) can opt for the Mulliner Driving Specification that adds diamond-quilted leather, a leather headliner, power rear seats and 20-inch wheels. The Flying Spur V8 will join the Flying B's lineup this spring.

Bentley's Ultra Performance Hybrid succeeds the 6.0-liter W12

The twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12 engine composed the soundtrack to dreams around the world once it found a home in the Bentley Continental GT, which entered a production in 2003. That engine will sing its final encore in the Bentley Batur Convertible before the curtain comes down, tuned to its highest-ever output of 739 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. The Englanders in Crewe have lifted the hood on the successor, without providing all the details. What we know for now is that the powerplant debuting this summer is called the Ultra Performance Hybrid, a V8 PHEV with "more than 750 PS combined output" and an all-electric range of 50 miles on the WLTP cycle.   We haven't been given a displacement figure, nor did Bentley use the word "turbo" in its release. However, looking around the Volkswagen Group, the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 PHEV in the Porsche Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid and Lamborghini Urus SE seems a solid fit for this application. We're told to expect "the highest output ever offered in a Bentley," Since the 740 hp in the droptop Batur equals 750 PS — achieved without electrical assistance — there's reason to hope for something closer to 800 hp than 750. The Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid makes a combined 670 hp and 680 lb-ft, the Urus SE a combined 800 hp and 699 lb-ft. Both of them also hide a 25.9-kWh battery. [video width="2000" height="720" mp4="https://s.aolcdn.com/os/ab/_cms/2024/05/09084632/bentley-hybrid-sound.mp4"][/video] In the Bentley, the e-motors will also spread torque across a wider swath of the rev band than the non-hybrid W12. The company released a short sound clip, and yep, this things sounds like a Bentley engine, from purr to growl never leaving the basso profondo range. The Ultra Performance Hybrid will take its place at the top of the Bentayga, Continental GT, and Flying Spur ranges before the summer ends. We find out closer to that time what happens to the other engines on the menu, the twin-turbo 4.0-liter non-hybrid V8 and the twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter and 3.0-liter V6 plug-in hybrids for the Flying Spur and Bentayga, respectively. 

Recharge Wrap-up: Panasonic, Tesla on Gigafactory deal?

Bentley has been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard for reductions of carbon, water use and waste production in manufacturing. The Carbon Trust is an organization that helps groups such as businesses and governments reduce carbon emissions, use of energy and resources, and waste output. From 2011 to 2013, Bentley reduced CO2 emissions by 16 percent per car manufactured, curtailed water use by 35.7 percent, and saw significant waste reductions. Darran Messem of Carbon trust says, "Bentley is clearly passionate about continuing to improve its environmental performance, which is reflected by the fact the company has consistently invested in new technology." Read more in the press release below. Chevrolet is giving 12 Volts to MBAs Across America. The organization will use the range-extended electric cars in its efforts to help MBA students learn from and work with small business owners. As part of the MBAs Across America program's first year, four students drove 8,000 miles to provide entrepreneurs with free business counseling. The program has expanded, and this year, teams of MBAs will use the Volts to travel to 25 cities to offer their services. Learn more about the partnership between Chevrolet and MBAs Across America in the press release below. A professor from the University of Michigan has found fuel cycle analysis to be too flawed to be relied upon for measuring CO2 impacts of transportation fuels. Professor John DeCicco of the university's Energy Institute feels that the flaws in calculating the carbon footprint of liquid fuel production and combustion make such lifecycle analysis impractical. He suggests, instead, to focus to carbon capture. Since capturing CO2 directly from a vehicle is probably never going to happen, DiCicco believes the solution is to capture carbon from the atmosphere in sectors outside of transportation. Says DiCicco, "Research should be ramped up on options for increasing the rate at which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere and on programs to manage and utilize carbon fixed in the biosphere, which offers the best CO2 removal mechanism now at hand. Such strategies can complement measures that control the demand for liquid fuels by reducing travel activity, improving vehicle efficiency and shifting to non-carbon fuels." Read more at Green Car Congress. Global transportation energy consumption is expected to increase by 25.4 percent by 2035, according to a report by Navigant Research.