Bentley tops cars pics

Luxury car makers are starting to feel the knock-on effects of the sub-prime crisis. Many people had thought high-end and exotic automobiles would remain as invulnerable to the economic downturn as luxury real estate on the French Riviera and Louis Vuitton bags, but that is beginning to change.

Bentley has seen a drop in sales of 28 percent in July. And “mass luxury” brands, such as Porsche, Lexus and Mercedes have seen some larger drops in sales, especially at the top end of their ranges.

But the offer of a ‘free Bentley’ stands a good chance for more and more customers to take it up. Even though one has to shell out nearly a £900,000 on a boat to get one, but this will not detract the customers from this very captivating offer.
Peal Motors Yachts has united with the luxury British car maker to entice possible customers who want to buy its flagship Pearl 60 yacht. Those who want to splash out on the luxury boat can also enjoy a drive on a Bentley Continental GT.

The offer is obtainable till September 20th.

In specification, the Blue Train Series Arnage features the 450bhp version of Bentley’s remarkable 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, allied to the chassis and suspension set-up of the refined and supple Arnage R.

The always embargo-breaking boys at the AutoWeek found only in the Netherlands have come across a couple of shots of the new Bentley Zagato GTZ. That's right, you heard us — the Zagato GTZ. Apparently the Bentley Continental GT wasn't quite ostentatious enough for the Italian tuning shop of Zagato, and like last year they've decided to bring a bit of blingasm with them. What they've come up with is a front fascia screaming "My god, I just ate a chain-link fence!" Supposedly we'll have more info on the GTZ this upcoming weekend. Of course that could just be Babelfish mistranslating again. For the moment you'll just have to feast your eyes on the three shots of this monstrosity of metal below

It is a higher performance version of Bentley Azure, the large four seater convertible introduced by Bentley in 1995. Under the bonnet, it features a twin turbocharged V8 6.8 liter engine, rated at 500 hp and 1,000 Nm (740 lb-ft) torque. It has 0-60 miles per hour time of 6.1 seconds (0-100 km/h at 5.5 seconds), 0-100 mph time in 12.1 seconds (0-160 km/h in 12.0 seconds) and a top speed of 179mph (288 km/h). The engine is mated to a smooth-shifting ZF 6-speed automatic transmission.

Most powerful Crewe-built V8 ever – 530bhp, 1050Nm

Beneath its muscular, rakish, coach-built body lies the most powerful Crewe-builtV8 engine ever produced, developing 530bhp. Maximum torque is an astonishing 1050Nm, the highest ever developed by a production V8 engine. Although performance figures are subject to final confirmation as part of the on-going development programme, the new Bentley coupé will deliver supercar levels of in-gear acceleration combined with Arnage refinement.

At the beginning of the project, Dr Ulrich Eichhorn, Member of the Board, Engineering, tasked his power train specialists to deliver an extraordinary driving experience in the Bentley coupé tradition: “Exhilarating, effortless, accessible performance for those truly passionate about their driving was our prime objective.”

Launched in the Bentley S2 saloon in 1959 with a capacity of 6.23 litres, the legendary, Crewe-built V8 engine has continually evolved. The first V8 was very advanced for its time with an all-aluminium construction, a five-bearing crankshaft and a well-supported camshaft, producing nearly 200bhp and 400Nm of torque. The result was a light and supple powertrain that produced maximum torque at low engine speeds, the hallmark of every Bentley ever produced.

1969 saw the capacity grow to 6.75 litres, where it remains to this day, but by far the most significant change came in 1982, with the introduction of a turbocharger to create the near-300bhp Mulsanne Turbo, a car that transformed the image of Bentley. In 1999, the single turbo engine, by now featuring port injection and charge cooling, was installed in Arnage, with twin turbos arriving in 2002, developing up to 450bhp.

For the 2007 model Arnage, the V8 engine saw a step-change in performance and refinement which became the starting point for the new Bentley Brooklands. A re-profiled camshaft and new, low-inertia turbochargers, which operate with greater efficiency at lower engine speeds have resulted in reduced turbo lag, enhancing that prodigious wave of torque at any revs, the hallmark of a true Bentley. These changes extend the power potential of the V8 in the Arnage to 500bhp and 1000Nm of torque. For the Bentley Brooklands, further component optimisation and engine calibration ensure record power and torque levels from this hand-assembled engine.

As with the latest Arnage, the V8 engine is mated to a six-speed transmission with strengthened casing that transforms the way in which both parts of the drive train communicate. A sophisticated, locking torque converter and ESP system ensure that the driver can readily access the prodigious power. A semi-automatic function allows manual gear selection for even greater driver control.

*The challenging Brooklands banked racetrack, which this year celebrates its centenary, was the birthplace of British motor racing. During the 1920s and early thirties, Brooklands, located in Surrey, England, was the scene of some of Bentley’s greatest racing triumphs, forging an inextricable link between the company’s motorsport heritage and this historic race circuit.