This is the new Bentley Mulsanne Speed and has it has been confirmed as the the fastest luxury saloon in the world.

This is the sportier version of the Mulsanne model has been tweaked in all sort of different directions to be a good 15 per cent more responsive for whoever is lucky enough to climb behind the wheel.

Of the 1100 or so Mulsannes that Bentley will make and sell over the next 12 months, approximately 300 will be the more expensive, more sporting, £252,000 Speed model.

Interestingly, Bentley also expects the vast majority of Speed sales to occur in Europe and the USA, not in China. This is despite that fact that the Far East has been the biggest single market for the Mulsanne for the past few years.

So what do your get for your additional £25,000 beyond the price of the regular Mulsanne? The biggest changes occur beneath the bonnet, where the twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre V8 engine lies.

This leviathan of a motor has been thoroughly revised at the top end to produce and extra 25bhp, making 530bhp in total. Which doesn’t sound all that significant until you realise what’s happened to the torque peak, and to the way the torque is delivered.

Maximum pulling power has risen from 752lb ft to a vaguely terrifying 811lb ft – but of arguably more significance is the fact that this peak figure now registers at just 1750rpm, and it stays pretty much flat between there and 4200rpm. The previous engine’s peak figure wasn’t attained until 2250rpm, and in that case it really was a peak.

In reality, then, the Speed should feel much torquier and, therefore, be much faster than the Mulsanne, hence the reason why Bentley now quotes some fairly hair-raising acceleration figures for the car. Zero to 60mph takes a mere 4.8sec, zero to 100mph 11.1sec, and the top speed is a deliciously irrelevant 190mph. This has enabled Bentley to claim that the Mulsanne Speed is ‘The fastest luxury saloon in the world.’

Quite what owners of a Mercedes S63 AMG would make of such a claim isn’t clear but, either way, the Speed is an indecently rapid machine considering it mauls the scales at a fulsome 2685kg.

Not only is the engine more potent but, as is the requirement nowadays from all cars, from all creeds, it’s also cleaner and more efficient than before. Emissions and economy have both been improved by around 13 per cent. In the real world Bentley claims the Speed is 2-3mpg less thirsty than a regular Mulsanne.

Elsewhere, the air suspension has been recalibrated to deliver more sporting responses when Sport mode is selected within the new Drive program. The same goes for the steering, the eight-speed ZF gearbox and the throttle mapping: each of these can be set to whatever individual mode a driver might want by selecting the Custom function.

So you can have the dampers set to Comfort, the Steering set to Sport and the powertrain set to standard, or any other combination. Which is nice.

Then there’s the most vital area of all in a Bentley; the cabin. For the Speed there are various new sporting touches that have been unleashed inside. The door caps now feature small amounts of tastefully applied carbonfibre trim. The seats feature colour-coded stitching in their leather and diamond quilted hide on their backrests. The door handles have been ‘coin’ finished and, whisper this, the foot pedals are now made from drilled aluminium alloy.

What is it like?
On the road the Speed is a pretty lovely thing to drive. You notice the extra torque and low down response from the engine from the moment the car starts to move. It feels like there is an infinite well of energy beneath your right foot.

In Sport mode it now feels magnificently potent, surging forwards with a serene, refined but gigantic hit of energy that appears to get stronger, if anything, as you go up through the gears into third, fourth, fifth and beyond. This is because in the lower gears the torque flow is managed to avoid great gobs of unwanted traction control intervention, which wouldn’t do at all in a Bentley.

What’s also obvious immediately is the extra precision and response from the steering and suspension, again particularly when the Sport button is pressed. Yet in Comfort it is as soothing and luxuriant as ever.

Should I buy one?
The Mulsanne Speed may well be regarded as an anomaly among luxury cars, chiefly because it’s a luxury car at heart that’s trying to be something it isn’t designed to be: sporting. But the amazing thing is, it pretty much pulls it off.

So the best seat in the house is not the one in the rear, as it is in the Mulsanne; instead it’s the one up front, just as Bentley claims. And that makes the Mulsanne Speed unique in its appeal, and in its ability. Bottom line; there really is nothing quite like it. So if you can afford to, the answer is great big fat-cat yes.

Price £252,000; 0-62mph 4.8sec; Top speed 190mph; Economy 19.3mpg; CO2 342g/km; Kerb weight 2685kg; Engine V8, 6752cc, twin turbo, petrol; Power 530bhp at 4200rpm; Torque 811lb ft at 1750rpm; Gearbox Eight-speed auto

Source – http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/bentley/mulsanne/first-drives/2015-bentley-mulsanne-speed-review

If you thought that a normal Range Rover was a little on the expensive side then wait till you see the price of this special edition version.

The Range Rover Holland and Holland costs over $100,000 more than the top-of-the-line long-wheelbase Range Rover Autobiography Black upon which it’s based and comes is at eye watering $285,000 (£180,000).

As you can imagine the Range Rover Holland & Holland which is a collaboration between the company’s Special Vehicle Operation (SVO) is the most expensive SUV ever produced in the brand’s 44-year history.

So what makes this Range worth so much more than any other luxurious SUV?

The Holland & Holland edition is completely decked out in the finest soft-touch leather, and its interior woodwork is cut from a single massive piece of walnut to make sure all of the trim match up perfectly. The walnut is also finished with oil to resemble the stocks of Holland & Holland’s signature rifles.

The inside of the Range also features embroidered Holland & Holland logos and engraved metallic accents — an homage to the handcrafted shotguns and hunting rifles synonymous with the brand since 1835.

“The whole SVO team is very proud of this car, a bespoke design, which perfectly meets the very particular needs of Holland & Holland’s customers,” said Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations managing director John Edwards. “This shows the huge potential of SVO, which encapsulates both off- and on-road performance as well as luxury and craftsmanship.”

The backseats are particularly impressive. Rear-seat passengers are treated to a pair of executive jet-style reclining seats, retractable walnut tray tables, and a pair of massive infotainment screens.

The Holland & Holland edition will be available with a variety of engine options — ranging from a humble diesel engine to Jaguar Land Rover’s 500 horsepower supercharged V8 shared with Jaguar’s XJR supersedan and the F-Type sports car.

Another reason why this Range Rover costs so much is the fact that Holland & Holland guns are expensive — ridiculously expensive. With price tags ranging from $43,000 to $277,000 for the “Royal” double barrel shotgun, the company’s guns make the high priced-Range Rover feel like a bit of a bargain.

To store these guns, Range Rover has installed a carbon fiber and aluminum gun case that can slide out through the tailgate. As with the rest of the car, it’s finished in fine leather and polished walnut.

Obviously this these extra features this is not a Range Rover you want to be using on the school run.

The Holland & Holland Range Rover will be very rare. Jaguar Land Rover plan to build roughly 40 examples a year over the next three years.

source: http://uk.businessinsider.com/range-rover-holland-and-holland-most-expensive-suv-2014-11#ixzz3K4NiFLpV

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Not sure if this is good new or not for Bugatti lovers.

Because one of the worlds most exclusive car makers has just announced it is to launch a chain of shops.

Well I say shops but they are actually high end boutiques devoted to the Bugatti brand. The first one is now open in London opposite Harrods in Knightsbridge, is the first of a planned 30, all of which are operated on a franchise basis.

“Luxury super sports cars will always be our core business,” CEO Dr Wolfgang Durheimer said at the opening, “but Bugatti also represents a very special luxury lifestyle. The stores will help grow Bugatti’s worldwide visibility.”

Outlets in Tokyo, Doha and Dubai will follow next year, which gives you some idea of the brand’s centre of gravity, although more Veyrons have been sold in London than anywhere else.

“You can be absolutely sure that we will be sticking to our basic principles,” Durheimer added, when TG.com pushed him on the sometimes murky world of the ‘brand extension’, “which is building the world’s finest super sports cars.”

Exactly what form the next Bugatti road car will take, following the aborted Galibier super limo, Durheimer wouldn’t say. But something’s definitely coming, and it isn’t just a pair of blue shoes with a central seam like the one on a Type 57 Atlantic.

In the meantime, fill your – very expensive – boots in the Bugatti store. It’s split into sections: the marble-floored, Tron-lite area that houses the Performance Luxury Collection, and the more aromatic and woody luxury bit that contains the Ettore Bugatti Collection.

There are clothes, bags, accessories, and Lalique crystal objets d’art. There will also be furniture. (Ettore’s dad was a cabinet maker, apparently, so it’s authentic.)

Source – http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/Inside-Bugattis-glitzy-London-shop-2014-11-17

Just make sure your credit card is ready for the hammering it will receive should you look to purchase.