2014 Bentley Continental Gt - Bentley Manhattan on 2040-cars

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Bentley debating production of either Speed 6 or smaller SUV

A fifth model is coming to the Bentley range, and after the EXP10 Speed 6 concept dropped jaws and a whole lot more at this year's Geneva Motor Show, observers expected the luscious green coupe to get the go-ahead. Yet, since January, Bentley has publicly mulled a new SUV smaller than the coming Bentayga that would "to attract more women and younger buyers to the brand." Now, the firm's marketing director is in the midst of a global research to work up a business case for each model that will decide the matter. The growth of the SUV market and the success of more affordable models forces Bentley to consider the potential money stacks provided by an even more price-friendly entry. The SUV is helped by the fact that it could be built on the same MSB platform that would support a production version of the EXP10 Speed 6. It looks like this is another cage match between heart and incontrovertible business case, yet a nod to the SUV wouldn't necessarily kill the Speed 6, only delay it. The investment for a fifth model begins after the Bentayga goes on sale at the end of this year, with 2020 or 2021 suggested as the production date for whichever new model comes next. There's no reason the Speed 6 couldn't come after that, even though we - and a bunch of potential customers - know the model we'd choose to build right now. According to Autocar, it might take up to two years for a decision. And either model will be draining enough of the company's time, talent, and resources as to mitigate a super-high-performance Continental variant, as we reported earlier. Related Video: Featured Gallery Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept: Geneva 2015 View 9 Photos News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Drew Phillips / AOL Bentley Coupe Crossover SUV Concept Cars Luxury Performance bentley bentayga bentley exp 10 speed 6

Bentley Bentayga V8 specs and pics revealed: It's the sporty one

The glitzy, opulent Bentley Bentayga has so far only been available with a twin-turbocharged W12 in the United States, but that's going to change now that the company has unveiled the V8 version. The Bentayga V8 uses a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 that, despite having two liters less displacement and four fewer cylinders, still makes a healthy 542 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers are only official for Europe, though, as numbers for the United States are being finalized. It's not a whole lot slower than the W12, either, with a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph. The W12 hits 60 in 4.1 seconds and has a top speed of 187 mph. What is a bit odd is that Bentley is marketing this V8 model as the "sporty" one, despite not being as fast as the W12. In support of the sporty identity, Bentley has endowed the V8 Bentayga with more aggressive looks inside and out with a black grille and unique dual exhaust tips, as well as an optional carbon fiber trim for the interior. To back up the looks, the Bentley Bentayga V8 also has the option of carbon-ceramic brakes. And they're truly massive with 17.3-inch rotors at the front, and 14.6-inch units in the rear. The front rotors are clamped by 10-piston calipers, too. Bentley claims the front brakes are the largest in the world. The V8 Bentayga also can claim a roughly 100-pound weight advantage compared with the W12, though whether you'll notice that in an SUV that weighs over 5,000 pounds is debatable. Pricing and availability haven't been announced for the Bentayga V8 yet. We would expect it to arrive at dealers by the end of the year. It will also likely cost less than the W12 model. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Bentley Bentayga V8 View 10 Photos Image Credit: Bentley Bentley Crossover SUV Luxury bentley bentayga

2019 Bentley Continental GT breaks Pikes Peak production car record

Bentley has made good on its promise to capture the production car record at Pikes Peak this past weekend. Pikes Peak expert Rhys Millen took a stock 2019 Bentley Continental GT (save for mandatory safety equipment) up the roughly 12-and-a-half-mile route in a time of 10:18.488 and an average speed of 70 mph. The final time was an impressive 8.4 seconds ahead of the previous record. That previous record holder was a stock 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S driven by David Donner. That car's twin-turbo flat-6 made "just" 560 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque to the Bentley twin-turbo W12's 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. Of course the Bentley is much heavier, which would be evident in a straight drag race, as the Porsche had a claimed 0-60 mph time of 2.9 seconds to the Bentley's 3.6. We're interested to see if other manufacturers will start heading to Pikes Peak in search of production class glory. In the meantime, Bentley can relish in owning not one, but two production car record times. It set the production SUV record last year with a Bentayga. The Bentayga was a little over 30 seconds slower than the Continental GT with a time of 10:49.9. Bentley set the record on Sunday, June 30, the same day that Carlin Dunne was killed in a crash while attempting to set a different record aboard a Ducati Streetfighter V4 prototype. Related Video: