Bentley Gt Speed Edition, 22 Wheels, Red Calipers, Custom Interior, Immaculate on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Bentley Flying Spur pictures leaked early

We can imagine that automakers are among the groups salivating at the prospect of a colony on Mars - perhaps a photo studio on the red planet will be far enough away from the terrestrial Internet to keep everything they've got from leaking all over the web. In the midst of Bentley's teasing for the next-generation Flying Spur, someone got in early on a set of photos and decided to share them with us.
The transformation is all about character, the super sedan's lines getting injected with a whole lot more of it. The family face of the Continental line is evident, the new Spur getting a more upright grille than before and a Mulsanne-esque undivided lower grille. The front fenders get narrow, horizontal vents, and behind that the character line that starts with at the hood shutline runs in a long arc to the rear door, then rolls up into haunches that terminate at the very back. Lower down, a character line cuts up the bulk up the sides. In profile there is a definite hint of this being a junior Mulsanne.
The only item we see at the moment that could take some getting used to are the horizontal taillights. Housing a large single element topped by curved red brows, our initial impression is that they lack the flow of the rest of the car. Inside, it's what you'd expect from a Bentley.

What the heck is a Poker Run? And why did I do one in W12 Bentleys?

Looking for something more interesting to do with your car-loving friends than just standing around a parking lot on Saturday mornings drinking coffee? How about a poker run? Never heard of one? Neither had I until I received an invitation to drive a variety of W12-powered Bentleys on a “poker run” tour of greater Los Angeles. To be clear, you do not need Bentleys to do this, nor do you need to cycle through a variety of cars. You also donÂ’t really need to know how to play poker, which is good, since my knowledge of the game begins and ends with watching the crew of the Enterprise play it on “Star Trek.” This is what happens. Craft a four-stop route of wherever you may live or visit. Coffee or lunch stop, scenic overlook, tourist spot, friendÂ’s mansion, whatever. In this particular poker run, we would be going from the chic Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica (did I mention we were driving Bentleys?) to the Griffith Observatory by way of Beverly Hills, the Sunset Strip and Hollywood. WeÂ’d then drive across Highway 101 (an interstate-style road at this point in L.A.) to the Topanga Overlook in Woodland Hills, down to the Cross Creek plaza in Malibu, and out through the Santa Monica Mountains to Calamigos Ranch for lunch. You can see the route map here. Was it the most dynamic drive in the world? No, but we saw some stuff. And at each stop, plus at the start, we drew a card from a standard deck. With W12 Bentley branding on them no less. With a fifth and final card drawn at Calamigos, we discarded one to craft the best hand possible. The winner in this case would receive the first press loan of the limited-edition Bentayga Speed Edition 12, but you could make the prize whatever you want. I knew enough about poker (thanks Commander Riker) to know that my hand was probably not going to get it done despite an ace of diamonds and a joker. My other choices were 10 of diamonds, two of hearts and five of clubs. And no, bluffing isnÂ’t allowed even if it could be worked into this. Sure enough, I did not win. It was a fun way to spend the day, though, and an idea IÂ’ll try again sometime with friends. IÂ’m guessing we wonÂ’t be in a colorful collection of Bentleys, though, which is of course the other part of this story. You see, the venerable 12-cylinder Bentley is going away after 2024.

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