American tuning specialist Vorsteiner has released details, pictures and a video of its new BR-10 tuning package for Bentley’s latest Continental GT model, consisting of a 5-piece lightweight carbon fiber aerodynamic kit and a new home-made set of alloy wheels.

The aerodynamic/aesthetic kit includes a two-piece front spoiler with central splitter, side skirts with lower section in lacquered carbon, a deck lid spoiler and an add-on diffuser, while a wide range of one- and multi-piece wheels - which can be custom powder coated or painted to suit the owners’ tastes - is also on offer. For the record, the model pictured in the photo gallery wears 22″ VS-130 series forged aluminum monoblock wheels fitted with high-performance Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tyres, whereas the one featured in the videoclip uses an original Bentely set.

View the full Bentley Continental GT BR-10 by Vorsteiner photo gallery

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Bentley is at the 2012 North American International Auto Show introducing the renewed Continental GT and GTC with a brand new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine. As previously reported, this new engine boasts direct injection technology and derives from the unit used by the new Audi S6, S7 and S8. One of its most interesting features is that it is capable of automatic switching to an energy-saving V4 mode (deactivating 4 cylinders) whenever the car is traveling at low speed. The new engine delivers 507 hp at 6,000 rpm, with 660 Nm (487 lb/ft) of maximum torque available between 1,700 and 5.000 rpm. Both Bentley Continental GT and GTC will have its power delivered to all four wheels through Bentley’s signature 8-speed automatic transmission: the GT will go from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.6 seconds, while the GTC will need 4.8 seconds to hit that same speed. Both models are credited with a top speed of 303 km/h (188 mph) and a full autonomy of about 800 km.

The V8 versions can be told apart from the W12 variants by their shiny black front grille with chrome outlines, the red ‘B’ badges and the different front bumper, with three integrated air intakes. However, the most distinguishing features have to be the newly designed tail pipes and the 20″ alloys. Specifically designed 21″ 6-spoke rims are also available as optional extras in two colors: Diamond Black (which is an exclusive color for the V8s) and Diamond Silver, while the passenger compartment also gets some changes in the form of Eliade cloth headlining, Dark Fiddleback Eucalyptus veneers, optional two-tone leather and short center console.

Right below you will find the links to access the official photo gallery released by the British automaker as well as a bunch of snap shots taken from our friends from Autoblog.it at the Detroit event. For more info on the new Bentley Continental V8 range, see Bentely’s official Press Release after the jump.

View the full Bentley Continental GT and GTC V8 at the 2012 NAIAS photo gallery
View the full Bentley Continental V8 GT and GTC photo gallery

Continue reading: Bentley Continental GT and GTC V8 at the 2012 NAIAS in Detroit

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Influential British magazine Autoexpress has tested the amazing Bentley Continental GTC - arguably one of the most exclusive and fast convertible cars available on the market - and uploaded some footage on its youtube page. The clip highlights basically all of the most distinctive features of this new version, which are as outstanding as you would expect from a car of such prestige and heritage.

The new Continental GTC however will be 100kg heavier than the coupe GT version it derives from, and will be made available at Bentley’s showrooms by the end of this year.

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Both imperious and audacious, to borrow a couple of adjectives from the following set of names - Imperium Automotive has created this new Bentley Continental GT tuning called Audentia. The Scottish automative design house is on British home turf with the Bentley model, which will become part of its portfolio of design work on the Bentley and Bugatti brands.

The Continental GT Audentia has a new body kit with restyled front bumper and side skirts, bespoke grille and new rear end which includes a diffuser and four exhaust pipes. That looks like a new paint job to us, too. You had better have your chequebook ready though. The Bentley Continental GT already costs abut 190,000 euros and this tuning job starts at £25,000 (about €28,600).

Source | Carscoop

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Bentley will produce an extreme version of its new coupe, which will probably be called Continental GT2. Despite the name, at the moment there are no plans for a future in GT racing for this car as it is an altogheter different project than the previous Supersport version. In an interview with AutoExpress, Bentley’s CEO Wolfgang Durheimer said that the new car is aimed at a more purist and demanding custom base, therefore the four-wheel drive will be dropped in favour of rear-wheel drive and a lot of work will be done to provide the GT2 with the best possible power-to-weight ratio.

The Continental GT2 should weight 2000 kg (200kg less than the standard model) and deliver more than 650hp (100hp more the regular coupe), although it is not clear whether this power will come from the already well known W12 engine or from a new enhanced version of the Twin Turbo V8 that was recently introduced by the latest Audi A6 and S8 models. However, it is believed that the Continental GT2 will have a 0-100km/h sprint time of less than four seconds and a top speed of 320km/h. GT2 aside, Bentley is planning to introduce a GT Speed version of the car as a more user-friendly alternative to the basic model. Last but not least, Durheimer also confirmed that -unlike the Supersport -the GT2 is going to be a four-seater as the 2 seats configuration is not considered the best option for this kind of vehicle.

View the full New Bentley Continental GT photo gallery.

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The new Bentley Continental GT Mulliner styling pack includes a series of new accessories in carbonfibre making for a smooth, elegant Continental GT tuning job. The front, beehive spoiler has been slightly modified and gets a new carbonfibre splitter. The lightweight material has also been used on the new side skirts and rear diffuser.

Further options available include a rear spoiler, carbonfibre rear view mirrors, blacked-out front air intakes and seven-spoke, 21-inch wheels. The Classic Pack above is already available, while these extra options will be on the market from autumn. We’re assuming that this will be a pricey little kit but no total figure has been released.

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After a Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible, driven by Juha Kankkunen established a new land speed record of 330.695 km/hr on sheet ice, the company is announcing a special edition to celebrate the event. According to president Wolfgang Durheimer, a new special edition Bentley will be unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.

It is apparently set to be the most powerful Bentley ever, with more than the 630 hp of the Supersports, and will be produced in about 100 units. No further details have been released, but we expect that the company had this one up their sleeve for a while. After all, you can hardly produce a special edition Bentley off the cuff a couple of weeks out from the show.

Bentley special edition for land speed record

Continue reading: Bentley special edition to celebrate land speed record

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Just days before the new Bentley Continental GT is to be officially released these spy shots have appeared with lighter camouflage than usual. Undergoing final testing, the Continental GT will be revealed in press coverage on September 7 and will then appear in all its glamour at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

The Continental GT will keep the Bentley philosophy of this model alive and will retain much of the style of the current generation, with just a few touch-ups designed to increase its appeal. New front headlights with LED technology feature in the same design as the Bentley Mulsanne, and an extractor gives a new sports look to the rear. The interior won’t be particularly radical either, with a few changes to the central console to bring it up to the modern technology expected in a luxury car of this kind.

Technically speaking, the old six-speed automatic will change to make way for the new ZF, eight-speed transmission and we’ll also get a power upgrade with the 6.0-litre W12 reaching 600 hp and 800 Nm of torque. That’s all the bread and butter bits, so now all we have to do is wait for the official pics.

Source | Automobile Magazine

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There’s nothing like seeing the best of British luxury cars in a video challenge and the one above pits the Aston Martin Rapide against the Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed and the Rolls Royce Ghost. There’s no denying the luxurious and fascinating appeal of each of these cars - they all have something to offer. But it will probably depend on your personal taste as to which you prefer.

Ignore the quite terrible and badly delivered script at the beginning and skip to the drive comparisons. There are many to be made and the profiles of each of these cars are on the mark. See which you prefer (and ignore the continuing ridiculous similes like supermodels’ underwear and tap dancing elephants), and which one wins out in the end.

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The Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible debuted this week at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and here’s the official video of the beautiful drophead convertible. The video was shot in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, although we prefer our model in white. We first saw the Continental Supersports Convertible back in March at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.

It’s equipped with a 6.0-litre W12 turbocompressed engine and with 630 hp and 800 Nm, it’s the most powerful open-top Bentley to have been produced. It accelerates to 100 km/hr in just 4.2 seconds and has a top speed of 325 km/hr. The Supersports model has been modified to work with bioethanol as well, as a preview to changes to the Bentley range coming in 2012. Check out all the lovely pics below.

Continue reading: Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible [w/video]

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The new Bentley Mulsanne and upcoming new Continental range could be joined by two smaller and more economical models as Bentley keep sales up in what is now a very difficult market for the luxury brand. Bentley could be going downmarket with almost a sub-brand called New Compact Bentley (NCB), to sit somewhere below the Continental offering in the Bentley line-up.

It will focus on keeping weight and price down on Bentley vehicles, as well as providing smaller, more economical engine options. To achieve this, we could see a new Bentley four-seat shooting brake model, and a crossover which would be like a kind of Bentley SUV. While the new Continental range will still have the Bentley W12 engine, the NCB range would have a V8, 4.5-litre option, with about 550 hp.

There’s some conjecture, but overall the so-called “NCB” project makes a lot of sense, with Bentley exploring diesel and hybrid technology. It will have plenty of competition from Rolls Royce, who has announced the Ghost hybrid, electric Phantom, and its own smaller crossover project called the “Short High Rugged International Metropolitan Project” (SHRIMP). So far Bentley is ahead in the stakes in how to choose names, at least.

Source | AutomobileMag via Autoblog

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As Bentley reveals its plans to produce a hybrid, debate kicks off as to just what combination of technology and engines the luxury car maker intends to use. While it’s full steam ahead on preparing Arnage, the new flagship, it looks as though Bentley is finding the time to dedicate to the environmental viability of its range.

This spy shot shows that Bentley is testing a petrol-electric drivetrain on a Continental prototype. The powerplant being used is a versions of the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne hybrids that combines a 3.6 litre petrol V6 at 280 hp, and 375 Nm, to an electric motor with 284Nm.

The Bentley version is likely to be more powerful as using a V8 engine could result in a final 500hp. This means that the original and fuel consuming Continental W12 engine could be scrapped.

This may be bad news for Bentley fans, but it’s good news for the company as it prepares the technology across its range ahead of new EU targets to reduce CO2 emissions by 2015.

Source | Autoexpress

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