2022 Bentley Flying Spur V8 on 2040-cars

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Take a closer look at the Bentley Bacalar with Top Gear

We haven't returned to the Golden Age of coachbuilding yet — meaning the the century-old, Roaring Twenties process of purchasing a rolling chassis from a manufacturer and delivering it to a design house for one-of-a-kind bodywork. Assuming such artistic reversion is even possible, the emphasis is on the word "yet." Aston Martin announced the formal split of its Q division into three disciplines, Commission for low-volume and one-offs, Collection for precious tweaks to production vehicles, and Accessories for individual pieces. Bentley has made a similar tripartite distinction, and takes us closer to coachbuilding history with creation of the Mulliner Bacalar. In doing so, Bentley adds another super-low-volume, super-dearly-priced piece of hardware to the ranks of such emerging from Europe. Top Gear's Jack Rix stopped by to have a seat in the $1.96-million roadster named after a lake in Mexico and inspired by last year's EXP 100 GT concept.    It looks just as good in the studio as it does in photos. The Yellow Flame that incorporates ash from burned rice husks as an environmentally friendlier means to a metallic effect looks more matte to us, but we have no complaints. A lot of thought and work clearly went into the 22-inch, diamond-cut wheels and their "ninja star" center caps. The infinite detailing inside mixes different finishes for the same materials, including two looks for what Rix dubs "bog wood," and extends to the knurled ends on the steering column stalks. And our opinion is that every Continental needs that ramped console, and at least the option of the sinuous center tunnel lines that create individual storage areas behind the seats for two Schedoni bags. Schedoni, by the way, has made the custom-fitted luggage for Ferrari cars since 1977, and also supplies Lamborghini, Maserati, Pagani, and Rolls-Royce. One of the most exquisite points about the Bacalar might be a detail Rix doesn't get into, since the detail concerns the continuation series of the 1929 4.5-litre Blower Bentleys that Mulliner is producing for another 12 clients for the same $1.96M price. As Autocar explains, Bentley Boy Tim Birkin's heel created a depression in the floorboard of Blower #2 that he raced at Le Mans. The continuation cars can be such precise copies that Mulliner will ask Blower buyers if they want that same heel depression and other scuff marks in their floorboards.

Bentley builds its final 6.75-liter V8, ending a 61-year production run

Bentley has just finished its very last 6.75-liter V8. While engines come and go, this is significant because Bentley has been building this engine, known as the L-series, for 61 years. This final engine will go in the 30th and last Bentley Mulsanne, a 6.75 Edition by Mulliner, marking the end of the flagship sedan. The L-series engine was first introduced in 1959, and according to Bentley, it was developed in order to develop more power than its existing inline-six without adding weight or taking up more space. The engine in fact weighed 30 pounds less than the six-cylinder, and it made about 180 horsepower. That original engine "only" had 6.2-liters of displacement, and it wasn't until 1971 that it would reach 6.75 liters thanks to increased stroke. This final version of the engine is significantly different from its fuel injection to its twin-turbochargers, but is based on the same design. And with 530 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque, it's the most powerful iteration of the engine. At 61 years, the Bentley engine is arguably the V8 with the longest production run. While the first-generation Chevy small block V8 was introduced earlier for the 1955 model year and is still built in crate engine form, GM stopped using it in production cars in 2002. Far fewer Bentley engines were built, though, with a total over 36,000, as opposed to the millions of Chevy small blocks in the world. Of course, volume is sort of the antithesis of what makes a Bentley a Bentley. With the 6.75-liter engine out of production, all of Bentley's engines are derived from VW Group engines, from its W12 to the plug-in hybrid V6. Related Video:    

Watch 14 hot rides take over concept car lawn at Pebble Beach

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is an annual celebration of the beautiful, old cars that grace Monterey Car Week. But Monterey – and Pebble – features lots of newer metal, too, and that includes the concept lawn at Pebble Beach. Now, "concept lawn" isn't a totally accurate name anymore, and you'll see why in the list below. This year especially, plenty of production cars can be found in the area once reserved for the conceptual. Still, we're happy to see them. Here's what's featured this year: Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Audi R8 BAC Mono Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R Buick Avenir Galpin-Fisker Rocket Speedster Hyundai HCD-16 Vision G Coupe Icona Volcano Infiniti Q60 Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 Maserati Ghibli McLaren 570S Rolls-Royce Wraith By our count, that's seven concepts out of fourteen cars. But it still makes for one hot group of metal. Check 'em out in the gallery above. Related Video: Related Gallery 2015 Pebble Beach Concept Car Lawn View 38 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Design/Style Alfa Romeo Audi Bentley Buick Infiniti Lamborghini Lincoln McLaren Porsche Concept Cars Videos Original Video Pebble Beach