Super Bentley! Bentley Supersports @ 2009 Geneva Auto Show
MORE GENEVA AUTO SHOW @ INSIDELINE.COM:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/autoshows/geneva/2009/2010bentleycontinentalsupersports.html
Just when you thought you'd heard the last of E85 ethanol, here comes Bentley with its alcohol-burning 2010 Continental Supersports. In this one way, this 621-horsepower matte-white terror is like a Chevy Tahoe. Otherwise, not so much.
Now we suppose that if you've got the jingle to buy an example of this fastest and most powerful Bentley model ever, then you could probably afford to have someone deliver the E85 by the tanker truck to your garage. Otherwise, it won't be easy to find the stuff.
Fear not, as the car's W12 engine will make the same horsepower running on regular old premium gasoline, too.
Either way, Bentley says that while the Supersports will be available worldwide this fall, cars for the North American market won't be FlexFuel capable until the summer of 2010, following regulatory approval. The first several hundred U.S.-market cars will officially be gas only. Why did Bentley bother with all the ethanol stuff if the car can make the same power on gas? It's the first step in Bentley's plan to make its entire range compatible with renewable fuels by 2012. This should reduce the CO2 output of its fleet and deflect at least a little of the criticism that comes when you produce cars that deliver only 13 mpg in the city.
Anyway, the car — it's fast. The company estimates it'll do zero to 60 in 3.7 seconds and top out at 204 mph. That's no small feat for a vehicle that weighs 2.5 tons. The Speed model, says Bentley, will get to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and top out at 202 mph. Though the Supersports has gone up in power with its turbocharged 6.0-liter W12, it has gone down in weight, dieting 243 pounds compared to the now totally slow-in-comparison Continental GT Speed. That's thanks to lightweight 20-inch wheels, standard carbon-ceramic brakes (which, despite being utterly massive at 16.5 inches across up front and 14 inches in the rear, save 44 pounds compared to conventional brakes), lightweight carbon-fiber sport seats and a few other things. Despite all of this, the Supersports will weigh in at about 5,000 pounds.
The ZF six-speed automatic has been modified to shift 50 percent quicker than the standard box. The all-wheel-drive system now comes with a rear-biased torque split (40 percent front/60 percent rear compared to 50/50 for the Speed model). The suspension has been retuned with new dampers and antiroll bars.
The standard Continental body has been modified to accommodate a 2-inch-wider rear track and suck 10 percent more air into the engine. The Supersports comes with four unique paint options — two pearlescent and two matte — and is finished with "smoked steel" trim in place of chrome.
Inside, the Supersports two-seater is slathered with carbon fiber and Alcantara synthetic suede trim. Pricing hasn't been set for the Supersports yet, but figure about $250,000 or a little more than 20 percent higher than a Speed model. Bentley reckons it can sell about 250 Supersports at this price in the U.S. in a year.
2007 Bentley Continental GT vs. 2007 Mercedes-Benz CL600
For Edmunds' Inside Line article:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=121870
No one shops for the 510-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V12-powered Mercedes-Benz CL600 or 552-hp, twin-turbocharged W12-powered Bentley Continental GT based on price. After all, if you can afford either of these true hardtop coupes you can afford to buy them both — on the same day, using a black American Express card. These are cars for rich people. Well, not just rich, but Gordon Gekko-spec liquid. Rich enough to have their own jets. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. Players.
2009 Ferrari California @ 2008 Paris Auto Show
FOR FULL FERRARI AND PARIS AUTO SHOW COVERAGE, CHECK OUT:
www.insideline.com
Pulled out of its secret workshop and displayed on the grounds of the Ferrari factory just for us, the 2009 Ferrari California stops us all in our tracks. We all just stand there. Mouths open. Like high-schoolers in the presence of bare breasts for the first time.
This is a gorgeous car. With Pininfarina bodywork created under the direction of Donato Coco, Ferrari's new design chief, the California is a real stunner, particularly with the roof up. Roof down it loses a trifle of that extraordinary well-balanced beauty, but only a trifle. Unlike other cars with a retractable hardtop, the proportions remain intact when the passengers expose themselves to the sun.
For instance, the fender vents are a welcome homage to the car from which the California takes its inspiration, the powerfully evocative Ferrari 250GT SWB Spyder California introduced at the 1960 Geneva auto show. And the long, hollow grooves in the sills have a function, as they direct air to ducts that cool the rear transaxle.
No question about it, the newest Ferrari is a looker. Full-figured, but a looker still the same.
2009 New York Auto Show Highlights - NYAS Cars and More
MORE 2009 NYAS @ INSIDELINE.COM:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/autoshows/newyork/2009/index.html?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1.*
So what does an auto show look like in the midst of one of the worst markets in history? Not so bad, actually. The 2009 New York Auto Show is looking like it will finish the season strong, with a handful of notable world debuts along with a dozen or so North American firsts.
Think SUVs are dead? Well, not quite. Acura, GMC and Land Rover have all come up with what they think are the next generation of SUVs. Smaller, more nimble and less painful at the pump, all-new vehicles from all three manufacturers will be making their world debuts in New York.
If you're still not buying into the efficient, high-performance SUV thing, then look for the new 2010 Subaru Legacy. It'll be shown for the first time in New York and is likely to have all the utility you'll ever need. And for those who couldn't care less about utility, Nissan will display the convertible version of its new 370Z coupe. Coverage starts April 8 with video, blogs and photos from the show floor.
2009 Bentley Mulsanne
Brand new 2009 Bentley Mulsanne chassis No 1 at Pebble Beach Auction by Gooding & Company, 16 August 2009.
Bentley Azure
Watch the NEW Mercedes-Benz S-Class Official Trailer: http://vid.io/xgZ
Bentley Azure
2011 Hyundai Equus vs 2011 Bentley Mulsanne
Executive Editor Edward Loh and Senior Editor Jonny Lieberman find out if the luxury of Bentley's Mulsanne is worth the $330,000 pricetag compared to Hyundai's all-new $70,000 Equus.
Shot by: Jim Gleason
Edited by: Jim Gleason
First Drive: 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost
Senior Editor Ron Kiino obsesses over P. Diddy while taking the brand new "baby roller" for a ride around the block.
Shot by: Jim Gleason
Edited by: Gordon Green
Bentley Continental Supersports driven by autocar.co.uk
The most powerful Bentley ever tested. Read the review at http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Bentley-Continental-GT-6.0-W12-Supersports/242663/. Hi-res pictures at http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsGallery.aspx?AR=243770&EL=-1
Top Gear - Bentley Arnage T - BBC
Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson strokes his fingers over the motor cathedral that is the Bentley Arnage T - like riding a T Rex! From the BBC.
2010 Bentley Continental GTC Speed
The appeal of the GTC is further strengthened by the addition of the new 600 HP GTC Speed model. It is Bentleys most powerful convertible ever and inspired by Bentleys legendary Speed Models from the 1920s.
