2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur on 2040-cars

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Bentley SUV to cost over $220k, fix 'problem' of inexpensive competitors

There's no shock in finding out that a new Bentley is going to be expensive; it kind of goes with the territory. However, company boss Wolfgang Dürheimer is indicating that its upcoming SUV could create a whole new rung of pricing for luxury utility vehicles.
While speaking with Autocar at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Dürheimer let slip that the company's forthcoming SUV would have a price of 130,000 pounds or more ($220,000 at current US exchange rates). Thankfully, the Bentley boss further clarified the reason for such a high cost of entry. He said that the elite players in the field like the Porsche Cayenne or Land Rover Range Rover have prices that hit the European equivalent of about $220,000 for top-trim, fully-optioned models. "We aim to solve this problem," said Dürheimer to Autocar. While it's exceedingly rare for converted foreign MSRPs to equal the actual expense in the US, it looks to be at the very top end of the class.
That is a stratospheric figure, but the Bentley SUV already has some big rumors to live up to. The company is reportedly aiming for a 200-mile-per-hour top speed and may possibly offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain, as well. It's being pretty flagrant in evaluating the new vehicle too by plastering a promotional URL on its test mules (see above). They show the model with the brand's trademark circular headlights up front, and interior photos indicate a digital instrument panel. If Dürheimer is serious about that price, the company better pack the car with every bell and whistle it can find to justify it.

2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 Second Drive Review | The leathery lap of luxury

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. — I came home from Florida, unpacked, and was treated to a snowstorm the day after my vacation. As I sat in the office, watching the white stuff come down harder and harder, Autoblog Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore started asking questions. “Is the Bentley in the basement?” he asked, referring to the $280,000 Continental GT V8 that I was supposed to drive home that evening. Later, “What kind of tires are on the Bentley?” I wasnÂ’t too nervous yet. It was on all-seasons, and was equipped with all-wheel drive. After more hours of blowing snow, he said to me, “If you want to punt on driving the Bentley until the weatherÂ’s better, thatÂ’s fine.” Punt I did, taking the 2020 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium home that night instead. The next day, after the plows, salt trucks and sunshine had done their thing to the roads, I finally got to scratch the Bentley itch that had been nagging me since I had landed in Detroit. I grabbed the weighty key fob, Autoblog Associate Producer Alex Malburg grabbed a camera and mic, and we headed down to the basement together to film the video you see above. Opening the door to the 2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 greets you with a big white “B” illuminated on the ground from the puddle light, surrounded by a yellow circle. I don't recall seeing another multi-colored puddle light before, but IÂ’ll remember this one. We got in the Bentley, fired it up, and gingerly crept out of the basement garage. Before exiting, I made sure to give the car a few revs, but there wasnÂ’t much to hear from inside the cabin. Despite the lack of volume, the 4.0-liter V8 is potent. With 542 horsepower, itÂ’s just shy of the 552 horses of the original Conti GTÂ’s W12, and it out-torques it at 568 pound-feet. Helping to motivate it is a pair of twin-scroll turbochargers. As Alex and I took the Bentley for a cruise down Woodward Avenue, I got to test its straight-line acceleration at stoplight after stoplight. Despite the BentleyÂ’s 5,000-pound curb weight, itÂ’s brisk, but also smooth. ThereÂ’s no noticeable turbo lag as it motivates itself toward extralegal speeds. Bentley claims itÂ’ll do 0-60 in 3.9 seconds. There was no way IÂ’d get this thing anywhere near its 198-mph top speed. 2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 First Edition View 24 Photos The big V8Â’s sound doesnÂ’t intrude inside. ThereÂ’s no constant drone, and you only really hear it when you get on the gas.

Bentley designer calls Lincoln Continental concept a Flying Spur 'copy' [w/poll]

When you first laid eyes on the new Lincoln Continental concept, we'd wager you were likely impressed, because it's an impressive design. But if you also thought it looked familiar, you're in good company. According to Car Design News, design chief Luc Donckerwolke over at Bentley thinks the Lincoln concept bears more than a passing resemblance to another Continental: Bentley's own Flying Spur. "This behavior is not respectable. Building a copy like this is giving a bad name to the car design world," Donckerwolke told CDN, after posting some disparaging comments on Facebook and offering in jest to send over the tooling. "It is very disappointing, especially for an exclusive brand like Lincoln," added Sangyup Lee, his deputy for exterior design. The irony is further entrenched by the name, which Bentley only dropped from its Flying Spur in its latest iteration but still uses for the coupe and convertible models. Both automakers have a deeply routed history with the nameplate, but Lincoln's stretches back further, having first used the handle in 1939 before Bentley did in 1952. However it's not the nameplate that's the subject of controversy here, rather the design of the vehicle to which it's applied. So what do you think, did Lincoln borrow too heavily from its British counterpart? Related Video: