Contrast Twin Stitching Top Roll Emblem Ultrasonic Sensors Camera Veneer Cruise on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2020 Bentley Flying Spur First Edition ratchets up the exclusivity

For the 2020 Bentley Flying Spur's first year of production, the automaker will offer the First Edition model. The sedan adopts a brace of options taken from the standard car, as well as identifying badging. Outside, a set of Union Jacks with a number "1" in the center can be found on the C-pillars, just as were found on the Continental GT First Edition released last year. The words "First Edition" appear on the treadplates, and the sedan sits on 22-inch Mulliner Specification wheels. Up front, the electronic Flying B mascot with illuminated wings retreats to its den inside the grille frame when the car is locked. Inside, the instrument panel gets another Union Jack along with the Bentley Rotating Display. Owners can choose to have the First Edition Bentley Winged Emblems embroidered into the headrests. The panoramic roof and mood lighting come standard, as does Touring Specification, which adds driver assistance features like a head-up display, lane assist, night vision, and adaptive cruise control. The premier example of the breed is set to be auctioned at the Elton John AIDS Foundation's inaugural ball called the Midsummer Party, taking place at Jean Pigozzi's Villa Dorane on July 24, in Cap d'Antibes. All proceeds from the Mulsanne's sale will be given to the EJAF, but the new buyer will still have work to do. A Bentley designer will host the owner in Crewe or travel to the owner's home to spec out the car "through Bentley's exclusive Co-Creation Luxury Service." We're not sure how that's different than Mulliner, but to anyone buying a Bentley in the South of France at an Elton John event, it isn't likely to matter. They'll get whatever they want, including the right to say, "First."

VW pulls Lamborghini and Bentley from the Paris Motor Show

It's been slightly more than a year since the news that Volkswagen had intentionally cheated on diesel emissions testing broke. Since then, the company's reputation and image have suffered and it has struggled to regain its footing and composure. The automaker is shelling out billions in fines, so cost cutting is inevitable. Today, Reuters reports that Volkswagen subsidiaries Lamborghini and Bentley won't bring their elaborate displays to the Paris Motor Show next week. Auto shows can cost automakers millions of dollars, especially for supercar and luxury car brands that constantly try to compete and one-up with each other. Much of the money and fanfare goes to catering the media, and if an automaker has nothing new to reveal it can be difficult to justify the expense. The company told Reuters that it plans to attend smaller events that focus more on potential buyers. The Volkswagen group as a whole has shifted it's focus, both when it comes to products and auto shows like Paris. Next week, the automaker will be focusing on electric vehicles and electromobility. The company plans to reveal a new EV with 373 miles of range, eclipsing both the Tesla Model 3 and Chevy Bolt. Volkswagen has plans for 30 new electric vehicles by 2025. Lamborghini and Bentley aren't the only major automakers skipping Paris. Ford, Volvo, and Aston Martin have all decided to save money and focus their efforts elsewhere. Related Video:

2013 Bentley Continental GTC V8

Despite having a rich history of creating comfortable cars for the chauffeured elite, Bentley has also had an edge on performance that its former compadres at Rolls-Royce could not come close to. Because while the Rollers may have been the better cars to be driven in (and some would argue, they still are), the Bentleys were better to drive.
That's still true to this day, where the company, now situated under the umbrella of the Volkswagen Group, still offers all the same luxury and refinement as before, but it also includes even better drivability than before. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Continental range, where a full line of turbocharged 12-cylinder and Speed models are on offer, to say nothing of older Supersports models that were offered and the company's newest venture into the world of racing, the GT3.
But below the Speed cars and the other W12 cruisers, Bentley now offers eight-cylinder power in its Continental range. And despite this more focused approach to offering something a bit more frugal and efficient, it still has quite the focus on driver involvement. We recently spent a week under the summer sun in this droptop V8 GTC to experience just that.