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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Bentley introduces its brand new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, an engine that will power the renewed Continental GT and GTC. This unit is not as frightening as Bentely’s 6.0-litre W12 - which will remain at top of the range - but nonetheless it boasts an absolutely excellent delivery as well as reducing the overall carbon footprint of the British carmaker (although no official consumption figures have been released).

The new engine derives from the pretty similar unit that has been recently launched for the new Audi S6, S7 and S8, and makes use of a number of innovations such as direct injection and automatic variable displacement to V4 when traveling at low speed. The new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 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. Here is the official photo gallery released by the carmaker.

View the full Bentley Continental GT and GTC V8 photo gallery

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January 1st is one of those extreme ’slow news days’, so here we are talking about some celebrity cars. Poison’s frontman and TV personality Bret Michaels will be auctioning off three cars of his fleet at an upcoming Barrett-Jackson event in Scottsdale, Arizona. As it often happens in situations like that, the cars once owned by some sort of celebrity get a ridiculous extra value on the top of what they would normally be on sale for in the real world, and a case in point comes from Mr.Michaels himself. Last year he showed up at another Barrett-Jackson auction offering a non-original 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, which got eventually sold for no less than 200,000 $ (about 155,000 € / 130,000 £ at current rates), meaning five times the cash it was likely to fetch up without its ‘celebrity status’. Ok, the singer also threw in a signed guitar in the deal, but still..

Quite understandably impressed with the result, Mr.Michaels will be back at this year’s Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale (January 15-22) with three cars: a 2004 Bentley Continental GT, a 2004 Lincoln Navigator and a 2011 Ford Explorer. Here’s a photo gallery of his offering and, right after the jump, the Press Release presenting the lot. Our advice is: if you would be interested in some of the models but you are not a Poison’s fan, forget it.

via | Autoblog.com

Continue reading: Bret Michaels tries his luck again at a car-auction

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Renowned German tuner Mansory releases some official photo of its latest tuning program, dedicated to the W12 version of the Bentley Continental GT. The aerodynamic kit provides the British two-door model with an even more sporty flavor and consists of a new front apron with lip spoiler, re-designed rear bumper with integrated diffuser, side skirts, larger front fenders and even a new bonnet plus front grille made of carbon fibre.

Mansory also optimizes the performance of the standard 6.0-litre bi-turbo engine with re-calibrated ECU, sports air filter and a new sports exhaust system, boosting the Continental GT’s output up to 672 hp (at 6,000 revs) with 780 Nm of torque (at 1,700 rpm).

As for the interior, Mansory uses the finest fabrics and materials combined with the usual carbon inserts here and there. The German tuner will offer a wide range of 22″ alloys for the model, as well as customized aluminum pedals, carmats and illuminated door sill plates.

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As it just happened with the new BMW 6-series Gran Coupe, Bentley just introduced the new Continental GT with some official pic and then, shortly afterwards, released some new video featuring their latest creation. Since we just posted an extensive article about the new model, all you need to do to find out about its technical highlights and is scrolling down this page a little bit.

This new Bentley Continental GT is powered by a brand new 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 with direct injection and will be officially unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next January. To see the second video click on the ‘Continue Reading’ link below.

Continue reading: Bentley Continental GT V8: official videos available

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Bentley releases the first official pictures of the Continental GT powered by a brand new 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 with direct injection that will be made immediately available for the GTC as well. Both model will be officially introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit (January 9-22). The new engine delivers an output of 500 hp at 6,000 rpm with 660 Nm of peak torque between 1,700 and 5,000 rpm, and boasts a 40% improvement in fuel efficiency compared to the 12-cylinder unit. However, the flagship W12 will not go out of production but will remain at the top of the range, focusing on unrivalled comfort and refinement.

The new engine has been built and developed with the cooperation of Audi’s engineers, and uses an interesting variable-displacement system that enables the engine to run on only four cylinders under partial throttle load. This feature allows it to significantly reduce its CO2 emissions, with obvious benefits in terms of fuel consumption as well. Bentley says it will be capable of travelling over 800 km (about 500 miles) on a single tank of fuel, which is quite astonishing for a car of this class and size. This engine is coupled with an 8-speed automatic transmission that will convey its power all four wheels, permanently.

This classy coupe from the British manufacturer can be distinguished from its W12 counterpart by the specific design of its chrome exhaust pipes, the glossy black radiator grille with chrome outline, a slightly revised lower fascia in which the three air inlets are more evenly sized, and its set of six-spoke alloy wheels, specifically designed for the V8 version and available in 20″ or 21″ sizes. Besides, all of the Bentley “B” logos on the car front and back are surrounded by red paint rather than the usual black. Inside, there’s a new Eliade cloth headlining with Dark Fiddleback Eucalyptus wood veneers and optional two-tone leather. The Continental GT V8 will offer a choice of seven exterior and four interior colors, while three different hood shades will also be made available. Click on the ‘Continue Reading’ link below to find out more.

View Bentley Continental GT V8 official pictures

Continue reading: Bentley Continental GT V8 to debut in Detroit

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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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If you thought the Bentley Continental GT Coupé was already hot, you haven’t seen it with its top off yet. The new Bentley Continental GTC drops the top of that previous model for a gorgeous, all-out luxurious convertible. Keeping things elegant and somewhat traditional on the Continental GTC is a soft top roof with automatic folding mechanism.

Otherwise the Continental in cabrio form is what you’d expect. It’s equipped with the six-litre, W12 twin-turbo engine of the hard top with 575 hp and 700 Nm of torque. It gets a six-speed transmission with paddle shift, a sprint time to 100 km/hr of 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 314 km/hr.

Obviously, at a price of over 170,000 euros you get some serious Bentley luxury sitting on 20-inch wheels. Otherwise you can get the optional 21-inch wheels and other goodies like carbon ceramic brakes. Tune in for our live pics of the Bentley Continental GTC from the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Continue reading: Bentley Continental GTC

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The Bentley Continental GT is said to be testing a new four-litre V8 Bentley engine which should be into production by 2012. The new Bentley engine lineup will have both a single-turbo unit with about 415 hp and a twin-turbo powerplant with 555 hp. Spy shots originally appearing were thought to be the Bentley Continental Speed version, but according to Autocar that now isn’t the case, although the model pictured possibly equips the twin-turbo unit.

The Bentley Continental family is supposed to get a better driving feel with the new engine and a sportier character. Matching the new engines will probably be a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission like the Audi S-Tronic. The Continental platform has been redeveloped to house the new gearbox, and the new V8 engine will also be shared across other VAG brands, possibly going into the bonnet of the new Audi S6.

The Audi S6 will get the single-turbo version and the RS6 the twin-turbo unit. The S6 looks set to debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, where the new Bentley Continental GTC will also turn up - but without its new V8 engine. It will more likely get a 2012 launch date at either Detroit or Geneva.

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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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Reports from France suggest the Porsche Panamera could have a diesel version as early as summer 2011 in what would be another departure from the traditional sports image of the Porsche brand, but a probably a necessary one given the type of vehicle that the Panamera is. Automobile Magazine reports that the Porsche Panamera diesel would be equipped with a 3.0-litre TDI V6 twin turbo unit with 300 hp and 600 Nm, that would go to fit-out the Audi A6, A7 Sportback and Audi A8.

The magazine goes on to say that we could even see the Panamera Hybrid revealed in 2011 with the 3.0 TSI V6 combined to an electric motor of 47 hp for a total of 380 hp. We’re convinced that a diesel Panamera makes a lot of sense but we’re less sure we’ll be seeing a hybrid model that soon.

In the meantime, Autocar reveals that Porsche could look to Bentley for more collaboration on future Panamera cars, to produce further variants of the model. While there might be a little too much internal competition for comfort on this front, especially as the Bentley Continental GT could get in the way of a Panamera GT model, Porsche CEO Matthias Muller has said it makes sense for Porsche and Bentley to collaborate to consolidate platform development and cut costs. He says:

What we want to do, in conjunction with Bentley, is to have a common architecture, a common performance in purchasing, and so on. That is just an offer to Bentley; you have to understand. Everybody will be keen to get synergies and reduce costs, and at the end of the day, have a better revenue

Specifically referring to the Panamera model, he says:

To have only a four-door limousine is a boring option for the future…. You can imagine a coupé with two doors, a longer version, maybe a van, a combi, or something else. There are a lot of ideas about the Panamera line-up but we cannot do all of these derivatives at the same time, and we need to look at the customers, whether they are keen to have a derivative of the Panamera.

We have to look at our competitors, and our internal competitors. Maybe there is a Bentley; we have to look at whether the Porsche can fit in with the strategy there. It would be stupid to have a car, a derivative, which substitutes, or is substituted, to 100 per cent by another brand.

So far the Panamera has proved there is a market for it and that it’s a popular model so there’s no reason why Porsche shouldn’t look to develop it, as long as that doesn’t mean stepping on Bentley toes or making investments in models where others are already playing.

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