bentley

Let’s take a closer look at the Bentley Continental GT Speed convertible

Bentley are known for their sleek design and luxurious style, but they are now showing us they can become real contenders in the speed stakes too.

What is it?

Subtle tweaks to the Bentley Continental GT Speed convertible mirror those made to its fixed-head sibling, with some mild styling changes and fractionally more power teased out of the mighty W12 engine under the bonnet.

Just as the previous revision to the Continental GT Speed convertible featured incremental increases in power, torque and top speed, this new variant nudges the performance game forward once more.

The 6.0-litre W12 powerplant, augmented via electronic management and turbo pressure fettling, now produces 626bhp and 607lb ft, increases of 10bhp and 17lb ft respectively over its predecessor.

Although the GT Speed convertible offers the hair-ruffling exhilaration and posing potential of luxury roof-down motoring, it does narrowly lose out to the hardtop version in terms of performance, even if the differences are miniscule.

Replacing the coupé’s steel roof with a seven-bow, three-layer fabric hood, and the accompanying operating mechanism and additional body reinforcement, has plumped the GT Speed convertible’s kerb weight by 175kg compared to its sibling, to 2495kg.

Yet it is just one-tenth of a second slower than the GT Speed to 60mph, at 4.1sec, and loses a scant 3mph at the uppermost echelons, with the maximum speed pegging at 203mph according to Bentley’s official figures.

It’s unlikely that any but the most inquisitive owners would seek to take their GT Speed Convertible past the double ton, but the top-end figures mean plenty when there’s bragging rights at stake in the private members’ bar or at the golf club.

What is it like?

It’d be easy to assume that a vehicle weighing close to 2.5 tonnes and lacking the structural rigidity provided by a fixed roof might struggle to keep its considerable mass under the kind of consummate control that Bentley likes its cars to display.

But the Continental GT Speed Convertible is remarkably composed over most road surfaces. Occasionally you feel imperfections that perhaps wouldn’t trouble the coupé, but for the most part the Bentley feels exceptionally well managed.

Body control is surprisingly composed, particularly through fast flowing corners. Ambitiously attacked slower, tighter bends offer an occasional reminder of this car’s size and weight.

Considerably slower than the car itself is its fabric roof, which can be lowered or raised in 25sec at speeds of up to 20mph, so you’d better hope the weather turns at the exact moment you’re stuck in slow-moving traffic or idling at a junction.

Roof down, it’s only natural that a good deal more of the W12’s gruff burble is noticeable than in the coupé. Engage Sport mode and the exhaust note is considerably more aggressive and, after a while, can be quite jarring.

Better to leave it in standard Drive mode. The control of wind noise intrusion into the cabin is very impressive, with occupants able to maintain a measured conversational tone at all time, enhancing the chilled-out grace with which the Continental GT Speed Convertible goes about its business

Should I buy one?

The price differential between the fixed-head Continental GT Speed and this drop-top is £15,700, and that’s before you’ve started piling on options; our test car weighed in with £30,380 of cost extras, taking the overall price to £202,780.

But it’s what the Bentley can do, rather than what it costs, that makes it stands out here. The price tag is unlikely to be the major consideration for those who can realistically consider buying a Continental GT Speed Convertible. Indeed, Bentley reckons the sales split between coupé and drop-top is roughly 50:50.

The Bentley’s sheer heft and blunt-force power delivery means those seeking a rapier-sharp driving experience should look elsewhere. It doesn’t prevent the convertible from offering enormous giggles when the mood occasionally takes you, although luxurious cruising remains its main asset.

Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible


Price £172,400; 0-60mph 4.1sec; Top speed 203mph; Economy 19.0mpg; CO2 347g/km; Kerb weight 2495kg; Engine type, cc W12, 5998cc, twin-turbo petrol; Installation front, longitudinal, 4WD; Power 626bhp at 6000rpm; Torque 607lb ft at 2000rpm; Gearbox 8-spd automatic

Source http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/bentley/continental-gt-speed/first-drives/2014-bentley-continental-gt-speed-convertible-f

Bentley set to have a record breaking year

Yet again, we are seeing record breaking sales in luxury cars across the board. Today we bring the facts and figures for Bentley’s first half of 2014.

Luxury car marker Bentley is set to break more sales records in 2014 after global deliveries increased by almost a quarter in the first six months of the year. There has been particularly strong growth for the group in China and the Middle East, although UK sales have also risen.

Bentley, which reported its best ever performance in 2013, said deliveries increased by 23 per cent to 5,254 cars in the six months to 30 June 2014.

This is compared with 4,279 cars in the first six months of 2013.

Americans remained the group’s biggest region with an 8 per cent rise in sales during the six months.

But China is a growing country for Bentley after deliveries soared by 61 per cent to 1,388 cars, boosted by the success of the Flying Spur and Flying Spur V8.

In the Asia Pacific region the figure was up by 46 per cent while in the Middle East there was a 27 per cent rise in deliveries.

Meanwhile, in Europe sales were up 11 per cent boosted by a strong performance in Germany.

UK deliveries rose by 2 per cent to 713 cars.

Bentley has also announced a foray into the telecommunications market through a partnership with luxury smartphone maker Vertu.

Under a five-year deal, five Bentley smartphones are to be released featuring design elements of the brand as well as lifestyle services.

A Bentley app will also be included on each phone.

Kevin Rose, Bentley’s board member for sales, marketing and aftersales, said: “There is simply no-one in the luxury automotive sector that can match these results. We continue to prove we are the world’s most sought after luxury car brand. It’s vital to continuously develop in our exclusive market, as our customers are the most discerning.

“There is no question that some markets will remain tough but we are confident of a good 2014.”

The interim performance follows a record 2013 with the group reporting its highest delivery, turnover and profit figures in its 95-year history.

Source http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/north-west/118677-bentley-record-2014/

Bentley and Rolls-Royce in record profits

Luxury car manufacturers are reporting high profits for last year and this year already. With Bentley and Rolls Royce up there too, it’s nice to see some British car royalty sharing a large piece of the pie.

Britain’s leading luxury car manufacturers Bentley and Rolls-Royce both achieved record profits last year as demand for classic car marques continues to grow.

 

Bentley, which accounts for one in every four luxury cars sold around the world, saw sales jump a fifth to £1.4 billion to the year ending December 31, 2013. Profits rocketed from £108 million to £181 million as it sold a record 10,120 cars.

 

It is a remarkable performance for the company, which recorded a pre-tax loss of £293 million on a £591 million turnover just three years ago.

 

Since buying Bentley in 1998, owner Volkswagen has invested more than £1 billion in improving production at its manufacturing plant in Crewe, Cheshire.

 

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, owned by Germany’s BMW, sold a record 3,630 cars last year, all handmade to order at Goodwood, West Sussex. A spokesman said: ‘There is an appetite around the world for quality, luxury and Britishness.’

Source http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2644739/Luxury-car-manufacturers-Bentley-Rolls-Royce-rev-record-profits.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

 

140 jobs to be created by Bentley in Crewe

After a record year in 2013, car  manufacturer Bentley is set to create 140 jobs at Pyms Lane in Crewe.

The firm, wants 90 skilled engineers and 51 apprentices as part of an £800 million expansion project.

The announcement follows on from Bentley’s record year in 2013, which saw it deliver 10,120 cars – the highest in the company’s 95-year history.

The company, which employs 3,700 people at its Crewe headquarters including large numbers from North Staffordshire, aims to reach 15,000 cars by 2018.

The firm says the new jobs are set to help strengthen Bentley’s core skills as it builds up to the introduction of the Bentley SUV in 2016.

Dr Ariane Reinhart, member of the board for Human Resources at Bentley, said: “It is vital  we continue to bring fresh thinking into the business and continually develop  talent and craftsmanship.

“We need skilled and committed individuals who will help us sustain levels of excellence that are important to our own successful future.”

The engineers will help develop a new generation of Bentleys.

Twenty one-year-old Anna Appleton, from Sandbach, is currently undertaking an apprenticeship at Bentley.

She said: “I’m pleased to know that even more people will be benefiting from similar opportunities to those that I have had. My own scheme is providing me with a breadth of experience which I potentially would not have received through education alone.

“It’s great news that Bentley is continuing to contribute to the development of young talent.”

Cheshire East Council Leader Michael Jones said: “This is a tremendous vote of confidence in Crewe. It is a welcome boost for the local economy and further proof that Crewe is a town with huge potential.

“Cheshire East will continue to work in partnership with Bentley and other employers – large and small – to ensure we have the right infrastructure and skills that will help bring skilled jobs and investment to the people of Crewe.

“I am confident that this is the start of an exciting and prosperous new future for Crewe.”

Dr Ian Jackson, Enterprise Reader at Staffordshire University, claims the new jobs are a ‘positive’ sign for future growth. He said: “This is wonderful news.

“It is not only good for the local and national economy because these jobs are exactly what we need, but it’s also a signal that Bentley is confident about the future.

“They are stocking up for a future of successful export growth.

“Now we need to retain these jobs. We need qualified scientists and engineers so they can boost the economy and add value because that has a multiplier effect. These jobs will also create foreign currency for the UK with the exportation of these luxury cars.”

Source http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Luxury-car-maker-Bentley-announces-creation-140/story-21113200-detail/story.html

The latest craze for the rich in China

If you suddenly won the lottery and could afford a life of luxury, what would your first purchase be? A house, a holiday, maybe some exquisite jewellery? Well people in China are shunning these ideas and going for a more extreme and extravagant buy!

People act very strangely when they suddenly come into money.  Think of all the lottery winners who are famous for half a second and then mysteriously disappear.  If you ask any of them, they almost all say the same thing, “My life was actually more manageable before the money”.  For men and women in countries that have been poor for decades, but have suddenly reaped the rewards of globalization, the shift in fortune is even more dramatic.  When an entire country is seemingly wealthy overnight, people do some weird things.  Case in point – China.  A generation of men and women have made their fortunes by producing goods and parts more cheaply than anywhere else in the world.  They have been amassing their fortunes long enough that their children are now reaping the benefits of their business savvy.  As countless E! True Hollywood Stories have shown, there is little more dangerous, or ridiculous, than a rich child with no limits.  Such is the case in China, where immensely rich twenty and thirty-something’s are constantly on the lookout for new ways to both show off their wealth and entertain themselves.

A recent trend has been to paint or wrap luxury cars in gold.  Yep.  You read that correctly – gold.  It doesn’t really matter what car as long as the car is high-end.  This list seems to include anything by Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Infiniti, or BMW.  Oh!  Limousines count, too.  The general population seems to take these ostentatious displays of wealth in stride.  The bright gold cars are parked at malls and movie theatres like any other vehicle and nobody really bats an eye.  However, the cops have been known to confiscate one or two of the vehicles for being just too, too eye-popping.  It is hard to tell what constitutes too much versus all right when looking at a luxury vehicle wrapped entirely in gold, but apparently China’s police force has it figured out.

Source http://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/celebrity-cars/gold-cars-the-chinese-noveau-riche-flaunt-their-wealth/

Here are the 10 optional extras on a luxury car that you DO NOT need!

Knowing what optional extras to go for on any luxury car can be daunting, but we have listed below the ones that you should reconsider or just stay away from and save your money!

We’ve all splashed out just a bit too much at one time or another. Did your TV really need gesture control, and have you ever actually used it? Why have you got a 750gb hard drive when all you use your computer for is YouTube and Facebook? And did you absolutely have to have the extra large onion rings with that sandwich?

Mind you, these personal excesses pale into insignificance compared to what some people are prepared to shell out for. Buying any luxury car is in and of itself excessive (after all, you could get around just as easily and comfortably in a Ford Mondeo…) but some buyers take it just that stage extra, and the car makers and tuning companies are more than happy to indulge their expensive, profitable whims…

10. Audi Design Selection leather

Ah, Audi. The company that gave us four wheel drive performance cars and utter domination at Le Mans. The company that says you can find advancement through technology. The company that created Audi Ultra – a rigorous programme to shed the weight and fight the flab to make its cars more efficient. The company that offers you leather seats that cost as much as an entire other car.

Seriously. If you buy an Audi A8 (and, as Barry Norman never actually said, why not?) and tick the box for Design Selection package in either Balao Brown or Marble Grey, you’re going to add €19,254 to the price of your car. That’s enough to buy an entire extra Octavia or Leon. Or two Ups. All that for some leather seats (they are made of nice leather, right enough) and some extra climate control buttons.

Sublime or ridiculous? Both at the same time.

Or you could have bought: A 1.2 TSI Seat Leon S.

9. Gold leaf paint

Carlsson, in spite of the rather Swedish-sounding name, is actually a German tuning company founded in 1989 by brothers Rolf and Andreas Hartge. The firm specialises in tweaking and modifying Mercedes-Benz models and will happily bling up, to your spec, anything from an A-Class all the way to a seven-seat R-Class. They even do kits for the Vito van. For the 2014 Geneva motor show, Carlsson really decided to push the boat out and presented a modified version of the new Mercedes S-Class. Only 25 of the CS50 Versailles model will be made, and all will come with modified 700hp V8 engines. And gold, lots of gold, so much gold that Auric Goldfinger would think it was a bit over the top. This isn’t just faux-gold trimming either, this is the real, weighty metal stuff, hand-beaten and applied to the instrument panel, the door cards, the window switches, even the cupholders. There’s even gold in the paint, just in case you were worried that you weren’t quite pulling off the South American tinpot dictator look. Cost? At least €800,000 to land one in Ireland, and that’s before Revenue create a special VRT category for gold leaf…

Sublime or ridiculous? Neither; just unbearably naff.

Or you could have bought: A 5-bed mansion on two-thirds of an acre just a stone’s throw from Adare Manor.

8. The Aston Martin Cygnet

Now, this is, strictly speaking, an entire car and not an option. However the original plan was for Aston Martin to offer its smallest, most efficient car ever only to those buyers who were already signing up for a new Vanquish, DB9 or whatever. At a price of around STG£30,000, it was certainly not cheap but hey, it was an extra car with an Aston Martin badge on the bonnet so bargain, right?

Not so fast. The Cygnet was nothing more than a tiny Toyota iQ tarted up with an Aston-style grille and some nasty-looking quilted leather seats. Aston suggested that it would make the ideal in-town runabout for those Aston customers who didn’t want to risk parking dings on their precious V12 Grand Tourers. A fair point, but then a normal Toyota iQ which cost about a third as much to buy would have done the same job. The whole idea was cooked up when Aston boss Ulrich Bez bumped into Toyota boss Akio Toyoda in the back of a garage at the Nurburgring 24hrs race. Both must have been inhaling a few too many tyre fumes that day. Essentially, buyers were being asked to pay way over the odds for a tiny car whose real purpose was simply to drag down Aston’s profligate corporate Co2 emissions. It was quietly taken out back for a meeting with the vet late last year.

Sublime or ridiculous? Utterly ridiculous.

Or you could have bought: An actually Toyota iQ (a brilliant little car) and pocketed the change.

7. Ferrari F12 Berlinetta carbon fibre filter box cover

While we often castigate the big German car companies for their skill in separating buyers from their money via the means of an extensive and expensive options list, let’s not forget that the Italians are just as keen on burrowing into your bank account and no more so than when you’ve signed up for a Ferrari. There are many silly and frivolous options you can spec on your Fezzer, but the cake must surely be taken by this, the STG£3,072 carbon-fibre silted box cover. That’s right, a lid for the bit that holds the air filter made from the same space age material that Formula One cars are built from. Surely, you would think, this is excellent. It must reduce the weight of the car, lower the centre of gravity, make it FASTER! Nope. It’s just silly. The standard plastic cover is just as light, and any potential weight saving could just as easily be made by leaving your watch at home. Or hitting the gym for a week.

Sublime or ridiculous? Ridiculous.

Or you could have bought: A Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Titanium watch, which would probably save the same amount of weight.

6. Porsche’s leather air vents

Sorry, having just said that the Italians were close to matching the Germans when it came to fleecing their customers, the Germans have nipped in with a last-minute equaliser – Porsche’s leather air vents. More and more car makers have been taking advantage of the fact that allowing customers to personalise and customise their cars means chunkier profit margins. Ford arguably started the trend with the original Mustang but everyone’s at it now. No-one more so than Porsche. Clearly, there are Porsche options that are aimed at actually improving the performance of the car. You can spec your 911 with a lighter lithium-ion battery for instance, or increase its grunt with the Power Kit option. Or you can spend STG£1,173 on having the air vent slats of your Panamera covered in leather. Yes, that’s right, the air vent slats. The little wiggly bits that direct the airflow either to your perma-tanned face or your diamond-encrusted jeans. In leather. It can even be in a different colour leather to the rest of the interior, if you like.

Sublime or ridiculous? Pointless…

Or you could have bought: Four Dyson Air Multiplyer fans.

5. Bentley furniture

You can buy just about anything branded with your favourite car logo these days. Porsche is the past master at this; everything from kettles to sunglasses to watches to wallets logo’ed up with the Porsche crest. Ferrari makes more money from licensing its Prancing Horse logo out to the makers of various jackets, t-shirts, baseball caps and pens while this very author still has a pair of Land Rover-badged boots gifted to him some years ago and very nice they are too. So how about a king0sized bed? Or a sideboard? Yup, really, you can buy these but only if your disposable income levels are on the disgusting side of plentiful. Bentley has been branching out into branded goods lately (its aftershave is surprisingly nice…) but surely the cake is been thoroughly taken by these outrageously expensive home furnishings. The ‘Canterbury’ bed will cost you STG£15,000 while the metal and veneer sideboard is a staggering STG£22,000. They aren’t strictly, we suppose, vehicular options but doubtless your Bentley dealer will happily include them on the invoice for your Mulsanne.

Sublime or ridiculous? Probably depends on the size and/or location of your house.

Or you could have bought: An Opel Meriva (bed) or a Ford Fiesta ST (sideboard).

4. Ferrari’s passenger-side speedo

You buy a Ferrari for two primary reasons; to look good when going slowly, and to feel good when going quickly. Both are pretty much the core competencies of any Ferrari and as we all know, there’s nothing a member of the opposite sex prefers than to see an attractive version of the other gender driving one. Ferraris are the wheeled version of dopamine, in that sense. However, one of the other points of driving a Ferrari is to demonstrate what a terrific driver you are; taming your Italian stallion as you go. The idea of putting a digital speedo (and rev-counter) in front of your passenger then is a little odd. Surely you don’t actually want anyone sitting in the other seat to know exactly how fast you were just going? They’ll either squeal and shout at you to slow down or shrug insouciantly and point out just how slow and unskilled you really are. The art of being a wannabe Fangio is in not letting people see how hard you are trying. This doesn’t help…

Sublime of ridiculous? Ridiculously unhelpful.

Or you could have bought: It’s a STG£2,400 option on the FF so, a lifetime subscription to The Irish Times for your passenger to look at instead.

3. Bentley’s iPod drawer

Bentley can offer you an entirely kitted-out mobile office in the back of your Mulsanne or Flying Spur. With multiple screens, a 4G internet connection and a Mac Mini stashed in the boot, it turns your sybaritic limo into a full-on den for deals on wheels. Buy. Sell. Buy. Long, Short. Etcetera. Still, that’s not entirely frivolous – after all, if you’re being driven around in the back of your Bentley you’re probably worth a bit and probably want to be worth a bit more, so being able to work and communicate on the move is actually quite a useful thing. However, Bentley can offer you a cutting-edge connectivity option that’s so utterly frivolous it almost defies description. It’s a drawer, inset into the dash of your Mulsanne, made of the same polished walnut veneer and lined with the same Connolly leather as the seats. And it’s for your iPod or iPhone. Most car companies make you stick your Pod into a handy cupholder, Some, Skoda chief amongst them, can offer you a handy custom-made slot to leave it in. Not Bentley though. Bentley reckons your iPhone needs to be pampered.

Sublime or ridiculous? iRidiculous.

Or you could have bought: A 64gb iPod Touch.

2. Hyundai Equus

We think of Hyundais as affordable, well-specified and possessed of a long warranty. They are rivals to the likes of Ford, VW and Opel. They are not luxury cars. Well, that’s not what Hyundai really wants you to think, or at least, if you’re in the United States, that’s not what they really want you to think. They want you to think of Hyundai as capable of mixing it with the likes of BMW and Mercedes as easily as it does with Ford and Opel. That’s why, in the US, you can buy cars like the Equus – a big, luxurious, imposing, rear-drive V8 saloon. It’s not half bad either; good to drive, refined and very, very comfy. And it’s got a champagne cooler in the back. Now, a mini-fridge in a Hyundai we could understand, but a specific champagne cooler? That’s the sort of thing you find in Commander Bond’s Aston, not a Korean-built exec saloon. Maybe it’s just a question of perspective, but even so, don’t expect to see this on a Santa Fe any time soon.

Sublime or ridiculous? Ridiculous.

Or you could have bought: Well, an Equus costs USD$62,000 so quite a lot of other things, really…

1. Rolls-Royce Starlight headlining

This is kind of a charming one. A few years back, Rolls-Royce decided to offer as an option a roof liner that replicated the night sky. It was originally offered on the first generation Phantom Coupe and seemed to be of similar provenance to the decision to fit the Phantom Drophead with a cloth roof instead of a folding steel item – because it’s more romantic to hear the patter of soft summer rain on a cloth hood. Similarly, the idea of feeding tiny fibre-optic lights into the headlining to replicate the night sky from within seems rather romantically lovely. A nice touch. It all gets a bit undermined when you dig a little deeper though. You see, for a fee, Rolls-Royce can layout the ‘stars’ to replicate the view of the night sky from a chosen point on the Earth on a chosen date. Your birthday, perhaps. Or the night you bought the winning Lotto ticket that led to you buying a Rolls. It makes the romanticism of the original idea start to seem needlessly narcissistic. Besides, you can now have a similar option on a lowly Opel Adam, which rather spoils the whole effect…

Sublime or ridiculous? Sublimely ridiculous.

Or you could have bought: An actual star, probably.

Source http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/motors/10-most-ridiculous-optional-extras-on-a-luxury-car-1.1783389?page=3

Gumball 3000 Rally to Go From Miami to Ibiza this June

The Gumball 3000 rally will be using its new route from Miami to Ibiza this June. Those of you that are fans of the Rally will be able to see its array of supercars this June, starting on the 4th and finishing on the 11th, after it has passed through New York, Atlanta, Edinburgh, London, Paris, Barcelona and finishing in Ibiza

The annual Gumball 3000 rally is a rolling 3,000 mile festival of crazy driving and debauchery that features the world’s most exclusive supercars. This year’s race, which costs about $40,000 to participate in, will travel across two continents and five countries with various parties, concerts and VIP events along the way.
Gumball 3000 car rally

Photo Courtesy of Gumball 3000

Every major supercar marque — including Bugatti, Ferrari, Bentley, Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce — will be represented in this year’s event, which was first started back in 1999 by ex-racing driver, designer and British entrepreneur Maximillion Cooper (he also got engaged to singer-actress Eve December of last year). The 2013 rally from Copenhagen to Monaco was won by a team from the United Arab Emirates driving a custom Lamborghini Aventador.
Gumball 3000 car rally

Photo Courtesy of Gumball 3000

This year’s event is set to be even more hedonistic thanks to a new partnership with AnastasiaDate, a leading international escort service specializing in beautiful Russian women. Two of the firm’s sexiest “employees” will drive a Lamborghini Gallardo Spider in the race in homage to the 1981 movie Canonball Run. Injuries along the route, which changes every year, are not uncommon — in 2007 there were even two fatalities — and cars worth a small fortune have been confiscated in previous years.

Fancy driving your own supercar? Have a look at our website and see what we have to offer!

Source https://www.justluxe.com/lifestyle/luxury-cars/feature-1954544.php

Hybrid-powered luxury car unveiled by Bentley at the Beijing motor show

Bentley have used the Beijing motor show to unveil the first hybrid concept car the manufacturer has made.  As well as showing the importance of creating Eco Friendly cars, the luxury car maker has Signalled the importance of the Chinese market by using their show to unveil the car, as well  as debuting three other models.

Based on Bentley’s £225,000 flagship Mulsanne model, the hybrid system uses   both petrol and electric power and can be plugged into the mains to recharge   it. The manufacturer claims the system increases the car’s power output by a   quarter and cuts emissions by 70pc, as well as allowing the vehicle to drive   30 miles entirely on electric power.

The conventionally powered Mulsanne has a 6.75 litre twin-turbo V8 engine   delivering 505hp that can take the car to 184mph, but consumes fuel at a   rate of 16.8mpg and pumps out 393 grams of CO2 per kilometre.

Bentley also used the show to announce that it will introduce a hybrid-powered   sports utility vehicle (SUV) in 2017 and that by the end of the decade 90pc   of the company’s vehicles will be available as plug-in hybrids.

Three other Bentley cars made their Chinese debut at the show: the Flying Spur   V8 sedan, the 206mph Continental GT Speed – the fastest production Bentley   so far – and the Continental GT V8 S.

Ricky Tay, Bentley’s China managing director, said: “China has always been a   key market for Bentley and, after a remarkable year in 2013, we have seen an   impressive start to 2014 with a 19pc increase in sales in the first quarter.   Our customer base is growing and we are expanding our dealer network to   offer our ultra luxury products and a unique brand experience throughout the   region.”

China’s growing middle classes mean the country is vital market to global car   companies. Last year, car sales in the country rose 16pc to 18m, making it   the world’s biggest market.

Also highlighting their commitment to China at the show were other automotive   industry heavyweights such as Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The company, owned by   India’s Tata, will begin making SUVs in China by the end of the year, said   JLR China president Bob Grace, adding that local production would reduce   prices by about 15pc.

Volvo Cars, which is owned by Hangzhou-based Geely, said it expects China to  overtake the US to become its biggest market this year, while Volkswagen   said it expects Chinese sales to accelerate by 10pc or more this year to   more than 3.5m.

Rick Ross’ Gets Red Forgiato Wheels For His Ferrari 458 Italia

The Ferrari 458 Italia is a beautiful car, but some people still feel the need to make it stand out in the crowd even more.

Rick Ross certainly isn’t a man to go unnoticed. Thanks to his large frame, heavily tattooed body and most importantly to us, his impressive exotic car collection, you can always be assured that Ross will make a big appearance wherever he goes. And thanks to a new set of bright red wheels on his Ferrari 458 Italia, he’ll stand out from the crowd even more.

These new wheels come courtesy of Forgiato and while they certainly aren’t to everyone’s taste, there is no doubt  they catch your eye!

Bentley Confirm Limited Edition Mulsanne.

Bentley has announced it is to create an exclusive limited-edition version of its flagship Mulsanne limousine for the European market.

Called the ‘Birkin’, the Crewe-based marque state that the new model is inspired by gentleman racer Sir Henry “Tim” Birkin, who piloted the brand’s racing cars in the ‘Bentley Boy’ era of the 1920s and 30s.

The Mulsanne is a far cry from the racing cars that “Tiger Tim” Birkin competed in, however, with the already opulent standard specification taken to new heights.

Limited to just 22 examples, the Birkin Mulsannes will be available in three colours: Ghost White, Damson and a contrasting two-tone Fountain Blue and Dark Sapphire finish.

Birkin models are further denoted by their unique 21-inch wheel design, inspired by those on the original Mulsanne concept car, and 3D ‘Flying B’ emblems stitched into the headrests and inlaid into the dashboard’s polished wood trim.

The door trims and seats are finished in diamond-quilted leather, with the headlining is also slathered in soft leather. A unique knurling to the interior metalwork completes the design enhancements.

Customers will also receive a handcrafted three-piece luggage set, coloured to match the interior of the car.

Obviously aimed at those who travel great distances, the Birkin Bentleys are equipped with twin 8-inch LCD screens in the headrests, a DVD player and a Wi-Fi hotspot, and integrated iPads, allowing rear seat passengers to work or play as the mood takes them.

Power is unchanged from the regular Mulsanne, though this is no bad thing, given the car is equipped with an enormous 6.75-litre turbocharged V8 engine. Developing 505bhp, it is enough to get this near three-tonne leviathan from 0-60mph in a Porsche Boxster S baiting 5.1 seconds.

The price hike over the standard car’s £225,000 asking price has yet to be announced. But if you have to ask….

 

Thanks to Daljinder at www.motors.co.uk