2013 Bentley Continental Gt on 2040-cars

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Bentley planning to rejuvenate and modernize its design language

The sold-out Bacalar moves Bentley's design language in a sharper, bolder direction. It's limited to 12 units, so the odds of seeing one in the wild are low, but its head-turning lines will influence the company's future models. "It was appreciated very well by its target audience, but also by our traditional customers. I was surprised and happy to get positive remarks. I feel encouraged to really push the subject of rejuvenating and modernizing Bentley's design language," Stefan Sielaff, Bentley's lead designer, told Autoblog. He added his team will accelerate this process in the coming years. "We will take steps forward," he affirmed. Bentley remains a relatively small company, and it recently overhauled a large chunk of its range by releasing the new Continental variants, so don't expect to discover its next design language in the coming months. It's more of a long-term goal for the firm. Luckily, it has plenty of projects in the pipeline. Company boss Adrian Hallmark strongly hinted at "an even more luxurious and even bigger" version of the Bentayga, likely to succeed the Mulsanne (pictured) at the top of the line-up, and he suggested Bentley is tentatively planning to release its first electric model -- possibly with a cutting-edge solid-state battery pack -- about halfway through the 2020s. Speaking of, electrification technology will give stylists the opportunity to explore new design avenues. "I think that, when we talk about an electric car, and only from the design point of view, we have to work on efficiency first of all. This has a certain impact on our design language. It means we need to focus more on aerodynamics and on lightweight design, and this has a direct impact on the styling. I personally think it is a big chance for us; it will help us push the design language forward," he concluded.

EVs still burning aboard ship carrying luxury cars near Azores

LISBON — Heavy tug boats on Tuesday sprayed water on a burning ship carrying thousands of Porsches and Bentleys adrift off the coast of Portugal's Azores islands, the ship's manager said in a statement. The Felicity Ace, carrying around 4,000 vehicles including Porsches, Audis and Bentleys, some with lithium-ion batteries, caught fire on Wednesday last week. The 22 crew members on board were evacuated the same day. Ship manager Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (MOL) said in a statement the vessel was still on fire but stable, and that no oil leak had been reported so far. It also said the ship was drifting further from the Azores islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Two large tug boats equipped with firefighting gear arrived from Gibraltar on Monday, and were working with another patrol boat to spray water at the Felicity Ace and cool it down, MOL said. The arrival of two other tug boats with more firefighting equipment is scheduled for Feb. 23 and Feb. 26. "Together with the all relevant parties, MOL is making every effort to contain the damage and resolve the situation as soon as possible," MOL said. Joao Mendes Cabecas, the captain of the nearest port on the Azorean island of Faial, said on Sunday the fire had lost its intensity, probably because there was little left to burn. Cabecas said as the fire subsides and the structure cools down, firefighting teams and technicians might be able to board the vessel to prepare to tow it either to Europe or the Bahamas. "When conditions are safe the salvage team will board the Felicity Ace for an initial assessment," MOL added. Cabecas told Reuters over the weekend the lithium-ion batteries in the electric vehicles were "keeping the fire alive." It was not clear whether the batteries had caused the fire. MOL did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the cause of the fire. Volkswagen, which owns the car brands, said on Monday it did not have any further information to share. Green Bentley Porsche Volkswagen Electric Luxury ev fire

This is what a street-legal 3,000-hp Bentley Continental GT drag racer sounds like

When it comes to street-legal cars there's "power," there's "Power" and then there's "PAHRRRRRR!" This Bentley Continental GT dragster built by Webster Engineering in Bedford, England owns that third category, with its 3,082-horsepower heartbeat erupting from a twin-turbo, 10.2-liter Chevrolet V8 crate motor built by Steve Morris Engines. An entrant in the Street Eliminator Class of last weekend's European Drag Racing Championship, it is fully road legal.
As you might expect, it's not exactly a factory-fresh Continental GT, more like an authentic Bentley bodyshell placed over a tube-frame chassis and a carbon-fiber-heavy interior that took eight months and 250,000 pounds ($420,763 US) to finish. It will be driven by its owner, Yorkshire watch repairer Steve Neimantas. Builder Jon Webster told Autoblog that they're hoping for times in the "mid to low sevens on street tires and 6's on slicks."
You can watch a couple videos of the engine running and the car on the go below.