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The Bentley Mulsanne exits the stage as production ends

Bentley is done with the Mulsanne. The one you’re looking at here is the penultimate car to come out of the factory in Crewe, Cheshire, England. Apparently, the owner of the last one is rather secretive and wants to keep their car under wraps. That being the case, Bentley has surrounded this Tungsten and Rose Gold Mulsanne with all the pomp and circumstance one would expect from the end of an era at Bentley. At least, as much as the pandemic will allow. Bentley employees are pictured here next to the car, standing apart with masks on. ItÂ’s one of the Mulsanne 6.75 Edition cars Bentley previously announced, which the company limited to just 30 units. The end of the Mulsanne also means the end of the 6.75-liter V8 at Bentley. We gave that engine its own sendoff post, but needless to say, the engine series is an old one and can be traced back to 1959. BentleyÂ’s Mulsanne is much less old. This flagship sedan was introduced at Pebble Beach in 2009, and has been in production ever since. Bentley has given it a couple rounds of updates, with the addition of the faster Mulsanne Speed in 2015, along with a design and tech refresh in 2016. Bentley built just over 7,300 total Mulsannes, and itÂ’s released a few eye-popping production stats. In the end, about 700 people were part of the production process to build the Mulsanne, putting in nearly 3 million total hours. Over a million total hours have been spent creating the interiors, and nearly 90,000 hours have been spent polishing the cars.  “I am immensely proud of the hundreds of designers, engineers and craftspeople that brought the Mulsanne to life over the last 10 years,” said Adrian Hallmark, Bentley CEO. “Now, as we begin BentleyÂ’s journey to define the future of sustainable luxury mobility through our Beyond100 strategy, the role of Bentley flagship is passed to the new Flying Spur.” ThatÂ’s right, the Flying Spur is the new flagship for the time being. Though, the latest rumors point to Bentley making a gigantic SUV as its future flagship vehicle to properly replace the Mulsanne. Is anybody surprised? Related video:

Bentley Bentayga S revealed as a sportier V8-powered Bentley crossover

Say hello to the Bentley Bentayga S. It’s a performance-focused version of the Bentayga V8, meant for the buyer who wants better handling and sportier looks from their six-figure Bentley crossover. Power remains the same at 542 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque from the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. However, the engine breathes out of a new sports exhaust system with freer flowing primary and secondary pipes. These new pipes and reduced perforations in the muffler make it louder and deliver “enhanced character” versus the standard BentaygaÂ’s exhaust. Basically, the S is going to sound meaner on its way from 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds. The S will also handle better than a standard V8. BentleyÂ’s 48-volt-powered active roll technology is fitted as standard (previously optional), and thereÂ’s a new “Sport” mode you can slot the car into. Bentley says this Sport mode offers improved steering feel, greater turn-in response and a special stability control tune. Plus, it takes advantage of the revised air suspension that Bentley modified for an additional 15% increase in damping stiffness. Bolstering handling further is a recalibration of the torque vectoring system to sharpen turn-in even more than before. If you still want to take your Bentayga off-road, Bentley says youÂ’ll be allowed to option the All-Terrain Specification on the S to get the six available off-road modes and a certified 19.6-inch wading depth. Bentley did plenty to visually differentiate the S from the other Bentaygas, too. All of the exterior chrome and brightwork is blacked out. That means you get black mirrors, door sills, dark tint to the headlights/taillights, gloss black lower bumper grilles and black-painted exhaust tips. A unique, larger rear spoiler is fitted, and so are unique 22-inch wheels. You can get the new wheel design in gloss black, “black and bright” and silver. The interior is Alcantara-heavy. Bentley uses it for the seat cushions, backrest center panels, gear lever, steering wheel, upper trim and headliner. ItÂ’s also sporting a new seat design that Bentley calls the “fluted seat.” ItÂ’s meant to be clean, simple and sporting — you can spec the Bentayga S in either four-, five- or seven-seat configurations. The seat backrests themselves are finished with an embroidered S. YouÂ’ll find S badging on both the dashboard and illuminated sill plates, too.

Bentley doubles down on diesels with a triple-charged Bentayga

Volkswagen Group isn't totally giving up on diesels. While its flagship VW brand is clearly tarnished, the ultra-luxury Bentley division just revealed plans for its first oil-burner, a triple-charged 4.0-liter V8 that produces 429 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. If the powertrain sounds familiar, that's because it's the same one found in the Audi SQ7 TDI. It's a clever system capable of giving what Bentley claims as the world's fastest diesel SUV a top speed of 168 miles per hour and a zero-to-62 mph time of 4.8 seconds. The SQ7 TDI can get to 62 mph in the same time, but is electronically limited to 155 mph, because it wouldn't make sense if the cheaper SUV could outperform the much more expensive one. The Bentayga also emits the lowest CO2 output of any Bentley and has a range of over 621 miles on one tank. Despite having a curb weight of 5,269 pounds, Bentley claims the Bentayga can get a combined rating of 35.8 mpg on the European cycle. The Bentayga Diesel may not be as powerful or as fast as the W12-powered model, but it's a lot more fuel efficient as the latter achieves a combined rating of 21.6 mpg on the European cycle. Other than the new engine, the Bentayga diesel is nearly identical to its gasoline-powered twin except for some discreet "V8 Diesel" badges on the front doors, a new exhaust outlet design, and a black grille. A Bentley spokesperson confirmed that the Bentayga diesel would not be sold in the US. And since Bentley won't be at this year's Paris Motor Show, don't get your hopes up on spotting the vehicle there. The diesel-powered SUV will go on sale in Europe early next year, which will be followed by its release in Russia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan. Pricing for the SUV has not been announced yet. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Bentley Bentayga Diesel View 20 Photos News Source: BentleyImage Credit: Bentley Green Audi Bentley SUV Diesel Vehicles Luxury Performance bentley bentayga