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Bentley announces Mulsanne upgrades to be shown in Geneva

Proving that there's no such thing as too much luxury, Bentley has released details for the updated 2014 Mulsanne that will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Most of the additions are to improve rear-seat accommodations inside, with the addition of Comfort Specification and Entertainment Specification options.
The Comfort Specification adds some conveniences you might have in your living room, such as padded headrests, stowable footrests and seat cushions filled with duck down. Likewise, the new Entertainment Specification brings tech you might find in your home, including a wifi hotspot, seat trays that are now bigger to accommodate an iPad and keyboard and an entertainment system that gets a pair of eight-inch screens, a DVD player, wireless headphones and premium audio. Rear occupants in the 2014 Mulsanne will also get revised rear door panels with more storage and power-retractable curtains for both side- and rear windows.
Bentley is also offering up new paint and leather colors, too, and to finish it all off, Mulsanne customers will also be able to order a six-piece, handmade luggage set.

Queen Elizabeth II was a longtime automotive enthusiast

Since driver's licenses, license plates, and passports were issued in her own name, Queen Elizabeth II didn't need them to drive and travel. She started combining the two just before she turned 19, joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) transport division in 1945 for vehicle mechanic training. She wanted to help the British effort during World War II and would drive an ambulance — one that, theoretically, she could also fix if it broke down. The war ended before she graduated as an Honorary Junior Commander, the other ATS members dubbing her Princess Auto Mechanic. We donÂ’t know if she got under the hoods of the many official state vehicles and the far more numerous unofficial fleet in the royal garages, but she was still driving herself around England as late as this year. Here is a tiny selection of royal conveyances used during her 70-year reign. Gold State Coach (1762) True, she never drove this one, but a tour of every royal garage should start with the coach. King George III commissioned Samuel Butler to build it in 1760. Butler spent two years on the gilded carriage 24 feet long and more than 12 feet high. The quarters are suspended from the frame by leather straps, so occupants get tossed about even during a slow stroll, which is as fast as the eight Windsor Gray horses can pull it. It wasnÂ’t until the 1900s that King George VI rubberized the wooden wheels. Word is the queen didnÂ’t like it.   1953 Land Rover Series 1 Land Rover gave Queen ElizabethÂ’s father, King George VI, the 100th example of the 80 Series off the line in 1948. She picked up the Landie habit for herself five years later, when a 1953 Series 1 with a custom 86-inch wheelbase was part of the fleet used for her six-month tour of the Commonwealth in 1953 and 1954. That Land Rover became Ceremonial Vehicle State IV. The models above were built in Australia in 1958 as near copies of the Commonwealth tour vehicle, when Australia decided it wanted six identical versions for royal service. ItÂ’s thought the royal family went through around 30 Land Rover Series cars and Defenders since then, and many of the most common photos of her have her posing in or near one, especially the 2002 Defender built just for her. The royal family isnÂ’t finished with them, either: A current Defender 110 served as a luggage hauler for family members headed to Balmoral Castle during the queenÂ’s final days.

Bentley Bentayga V8 Design Series embraces the darkness

It is a truism that designers love the color black, and the hue features prominently in the Bentley Bentayga V8 Design Series. Outside, the Design Series comes standard with the Bentayga's optional Blackline package, which includes black trim, black exhaust outlets, and a body-color lower front fascia. The Design Series also gets a special set of seven-spoke Paragon alloy wheels in dark gray. In a trick seen also on — ahem — Rolls-Royce, the wheels feature self-leveling center badges, which means the "B" is never at an incorrect angle. Designers hate that. While the exterior is offered in colors other than black, the interior comes exclusively in black (Bentley's "Beluga"), but with a contrasting accent color — red, orange, white, or blue — that runs across the dash and on the sides of the center console. It is also seen in the seat leather perforations and in the binding of the deep-pile floor mats. Carbon-fiber trim on the dashboard and door panels has a special diamond-weave pattern, while gloss-black center console trim provides still more blackness. A Breitling clock in the dash is not black — it has a mother-of-pearl face. Other included goodies are "Comfort" seats, door sills with an illuminated "Bentley" treadplate, and drilled-alloy pedals. The Design Series is exclusive to the eight-cylinder Bentayga, which is powered by a 542-hp V8. We'd say that buyers of the 12-cylinder model or the Bentayga Hybrid are out of luck but they can probably lean on Bentley's Mulliner in-house customizing operation to approximate something close. But then, if you're going the full Mulliner route, why not get a little more imaginative? Maybe with something like the Bentayga for falconry or this paean to fly fishing? Just be sure to spec those self-leveling wheels — after all, one's B should always be upright.