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Bentley planning new Le Mans prototype for LMP2 class

Word has it that Bentley is planning a new Le Mans prototype racer. Speaking with Bentley chief Wolfgang Durheimer, Autocar reports that a new LMP2 project is underway at Crewe. The program would be run in-house instead of outsourced to a partner racing team. But while the prototype would likely use the company's 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, the chassis by necessity would have to be outsourced: the three major sanctioning bodies recently got together to approve Dallara, Oreca, Riley-Multimatic, and Onroak exclusively to supply LMP2 chassis, so Bentley would have to base its design around one of theirs. The British automaker might have a number of reasons for restricting itself to the LMP2 class. Chief among them is likely the presence of both Porsche and Audi in the top-tier LMP1 category, and parent company Volkswagen's likely reluctance to send another one of its brands into the same fight. Another is budget: developing and fielding a competitive LMP1 program can be as costly as running an F1 team, whereas the prospect of sourcing and adapting an LMP2 chassis from an approved supplier would cost Bentley far less. But another factor not to be discounted is that Bentley may be choosing its battles carefully. Where the LMP1 prototypes are constricted largely to Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship of which it is part, there are several series that top out at LMP2 – most notable the IMSA SportsCar Championship where Bentley is tipped to focus first, but also in the European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. In fact [SPOILER ALERT] an LMP2 entry just won the 24 Hours of Daytona for the first time, beating out the Daytona Prototypes against which they compete. Those are bragging rights that Bentley could be keen to capture, and if it plays its cards right, it could sit out the LMP2 class at Le Mans and in the WEC altogether, rather than compete for second-tier victory behind its big brothers in LMP1. That would make this program radically different from the last time Bentley built a Le Mans prototype. In the early 2000s, Bentley fielded successive versions of the Speed 8 (pictured above) with a little help from Audi, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright in 2003. The company then shut down the program, only to return to racing with the Continental GT3, developed with longtime Ford rally partner M-Sport and offered to privateer teams.

Bentley CEO says Mulsanne Convertible isn't going to happen [w/poll]

Bentley and Rolls-Royce may be as direct as competitors get, but that doesn't mean they go head-to-head on every model. Bentley is arguably more focused on its Continental line, with the pricier Mulsanne branching off of it. Rolls-Royce, meanwhile, only recently expanded (relatively) down-market with the Wraith and the Ghost on which it's based. For Rolls, it's long been about the Phantom and its coupe and convertible variants. And Bentley doesn't pose much of a challenge in that stratospheric segment.
Crewe discontinued the old Arnage-based Brooklands coupe and Azure convertible in 2009 and 2011, respectively, and hasn't rolled out a successor for either in the few years since. The high-end British automaker revealed a conceptual convertible based on the Mulsanne at Pebble Beach Concours last year and was said to be moving ahead with production plans, but the latest intel suggests that Bentley has taken it off the development table.
This according to Car and Driver, which spoke with Bentley's new chief exec Wolfgang Schreiber at the Frankfurt Motor Show. According to Schreiber, there just isn't enough demand worldwide to justify the development costs - even if it is based on the existing flagship sedan. Apparently Bentley has evaluated that beyond the US and Europe, they couldn't sell enough of them in other markets to make it worthwhile. We'd imagine some Middle-Eastern sheikhs might like to get their hands on a few, but apparently the higher priority is getting the Falcon sport-ute out the door.

The next-gen Bentley Continental GT takes a page from Porsche

The way things look to be shaping up, changes to the Bentley Continental GT's styling are going to be like changes to the Porsche 911: minor modifications to a firmly established formula. It seems Bentley customers like a certain style, and, as shown by the Bentayga SUV, Bentley is willing to twist that design into any shape. German influence from the parent company has apparently taken hold in Crewe. The new model takes a lot of influence from the EXP10 Speed 6 concept that debuted nearly two years ago. The profile looks the same, but the new car appears more muscular than the current model, with sharp lines that carry from the fender through the doors. All of the requisite curves are present, just tightened up a little. Despite the camouflage, we can tell that the Continental GT will retain its four round lights up front, similar to the EXP10 Speed 6. The LED ring can be seen through the covering on the coupe, while the convertible has even less camo. Out back, little has changed. The oval tail lights still match the exhaust tips, and the coupe's fastback roofline still ends at the rear bumper. The trunk lid now sits flush with the rest of the bodywork, but other than that, there will be no mistaking this for anything other than a Bentley Continental GT. Likewise, changes to the Continental GTC convertible have been minor. We don't yet know when the car will debut or what will rest under the hood, but expect turbocharged eight- and twelve-cylinder power once again. Don't rule out some form of electrification, given the new Bentley shares a platform with the Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Bentley Continental GT and GTC spy shots View 27 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Design/Style Spy Photos Bentley Coupe Luxury Performance