Bentley Arnage on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Bentley Bentayga Speed honors Russian ballet with creative colors

Bentley has become the first major automaker to release a series of cars dedicated to Russian ballet — sorry, Lada. It's planning to build a series of six Bentayga Speed models inspired by a different motion performed by ballet dancers in Russia. Each SUV in the series wears a specific livery; three feature a single-tone paint job while the rest get a two-tone look. As of writing, only one of the limited-edition SUVs has been revealed. It's painted in Silver Storm over Damson, which is Bentley-speak for purple, and it receives a brown and purple leather interior with contrasting Koa wood trim. Some of the other color combinations planned will be more subtle. One will be painted in Windsor Blue over Light Windsor Blue, for example. At the other end of the spectrum, another will be fully finished in purple. Edition-specific contrast stitching and ballet silhouettes added to the seats and to the trim on the dashboard further set the members of this few-off series apart from the regular-production Bentayga Speed. And, each car is named after a unique ballet move; the name appears on the sill plates. Before you get in, keep an eye out for the unique Russian Heritage LED welcome lighting that's exclusive to these six cars. Don't look for ballet-inspired modifications under the hood. Power comes from the regular-production Speed's mighty 6.0-liter W12 engine, which is twin-turbocharged to develop 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. The latter figure is available over a broad range that stretches from 1,500 to 5,000 rpm. The firm quotes an impressive 3.9-second sprint from zero to 62 mph and a top speed of 190 mph. Pricing information hasn't been announced but it's of little interest: all six cars have already been spoken for. They'll be delivered by Bentley dealerships in the Moscow area before the end of 2021. Bentley explained that this is the first chapter in a series of Russian Heritage Edition models developed specifically for the Russian market. It plans to release new Russia-themed limited-edition models annually. Fear not if you're into big, powerful SUVs and head-turning paint colors but aren't on the list to receive a ballet-themed Bentayga. Mulliner (the division that handles Bentley's in-house customization) takes requests; its 1,000th project was a sweet potato-colored Bentayga. Related video: 2019 Bentley Bentayga Exterior Walkaround, Drive Modes, V8 Engine, Front Seats and Rear Seats

Bentley re-creates one-of-a-kind sports sedan destroyed in 1939

Bentley's Mulliner division specializes in making one-off (or few-off) projects for clients willing to foot the bill. They're the folks you'd want to talk to if you want a long-wheelbase Flying Spur, a Bentayga-based dually pickup, or anything in between. The division only works on new models, but it stepped outside of its comfort zone to re-create a one-of-a-kind Bentley manufactured and destroyed in 1939. The project is part of Bentley's on-going centennial celebration, and finishing it in time was easier said than done. It made building a concept car like the EXP 100 GT look like assembling a Lego kit. The original Corniche disappeared after getting bombed by the German army, and a majority of the people who saw it in person are dead, so the men and women tasked with resurrecting it only had a handful of period, black-and-white photographs and technical drawings to work with. The final product looks stunning, and Bentley claims it's identical to the original in every way. Parts like the chromed headlight bezels, the droplet-shaped fenders, and the wooden dashboard were exclusive to the Corniche, so they had to be manufactured from scratch using the correct materials, and the right production techniques. The British firm could have saved itself the trouble of re-creating this unique part of its history if another car hadn't pulled out in front of it 80 years ago. Bentley made the original Corniche during tumultuous times as it explored the possibility of releasing a more powerful variant of the Mark V scheduled to make its debut in October 1939. It asked French designer Georges Paulin to draw a futuristic, streamlined body, and it commissioned Paris-based coachbuilder Carrosserie Vanvooren to build it using thinner-than-normal steel to save weight. The Corniche lapped the Brooklands track for the first time in May 1939 and quickly reached over 100 mph, an impressive speed at the time. Testing continued in rural France, where the big Bentley blended in as well as a flying saucer. In August 1939, one of the company's test drivers swerved to avoid another car, rolled, and wrapped the aerodynamic front end around an unsuspecting tree. Bentley separated the body and the chassis. It immediately shipped the chassis to its headquarters in Crewe, England, and curiously asked a local shop to repair the body instead of sending it back to Vanvooren in Paris.

Ares Design Coupe for the Bentley Mulsanne is the grand tourer we dream about

Bentley exited the grand coupe business when it made the last of 550 Brooklands models in 2011. The UK carmaker said it will make 19 examples of the Mulsanne Grand Convertible, but that doesn't count as a coupe. So when a U.S. Mulsanne owner wanted his Bentley with a roof but a touch less four-door-y, he went to Italian coachbuilders Ares Design. And not only did Ares do the thing, they did it magnificently. The resulting two-door is called the Ares Design Coupe for the Bentley Mulsanne, and the first of them was just handed over in Beverly Hills in time for a Pebble Beach appearance. Modena-based Ares started with a three-dimensional scan of the sedan, then reworked that CAD file into the coupe they sought by changing just about everything behind the A-pillars. A reprofiled roof replaces the old one, and it falls into a new backlight and longer rear decklid. The engineers moved the B-pillars rearward to install longer front doors, and fabricated new side impact protection for the portals and rear quarter panels. New chrome surrounds on the windows maintain the look as if from Crewe. Yet because the roof and doors are made from carbon fiber, they contribute to the coupe's 992-pound overall weight loss compared to the donor four-door. Inside, Ares replaced the front seats with more rakish thrones, redesigned the interior trim panels to flow with the body style, and matched the wood and leather as if all were factory original. Under the unchanged hood, a tuned ECU means the 6.75-liter twin-turbo V8 produces more than 591 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque, both healthy improvements on the stock 505 hp and 752 lb-ft. Completing the transformation, the coupe sits 20 millimeters lower on "a sportier suspension." One report said that a friend of the California owner likes the car so much that a second two-door has already been commissioned. Ares charges $460,000 for the service, to start, and it takes about six weeks. And no, that price doesn't include the donor Bentley. However, that's a lot less than Bentley would charge to make the swap, since the carmaker won't make the actual car. The Italian firm said it wants to keep volumes "ultra-low," yet, "As long as [Bentley] don't make one, we will continue." Although we haven't spoken much of Ares here outside of their Tesla Model S wagon, the firm led by ex- Lotus boss Dany Bahar has kept busy in its four years of operation.