1978 Bentley Continental Gt on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ferdinand Piech (1937-2019): The man who made VW global

Towering among his peers, a giant of the auto industry died Sunday night in Rosenheim/Upper Bavaria, Germany. Ferdinand Piech, a grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who conceived the original Volkswagen in the 1930s, was the most polarizing automotive executive of our times. And one who brought automotive technology further than anyone else. Ferdinand Porsche had a son, Ferdinand (called "Ferry"), and a daughter, Louise, who married the Viennese lawyer Anton Piech. They gave birth to Ferdinand Piech, and his proximity to two Alfa Romeo sports cars — Porsche had done some work for the Italians — and the "Berlin-Rome-Berlin" race car, developed by Porsche himself, gave birth to Piech's interest in cars. After his teachers in Salzburg told his mother he was "too stupid" to attend school there, Piech, who was open about his dyslexia, was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland. He subsequently moved on to Porsche, where he fixed issues with the 904 race car and did major work on the 911. But his greatest project was the Le Mans-winning 917 race car, developed at breathtaking financial cost. It annihilated the competition, but the family had had enough: Amid growing tension among the four cousins working at Porsche and Piech's uncle Ferry, the family decided to pull every family member, except for Ferry, out of their management positions. Piech started his own consultancy business, where he designed the famous five-cylinder diesel for Mercedes-Benz, but quickly moved on to Audi, first as an engineer and then as CEO, where he set out to transform the dull brand into a technology leader. Piech killed the Wankel engine and hammered out a number of ambitious and sophisticated technologies. Among them: The five-cylinder gasoline engine; Quattro all-wheel drive and Audi's fantastic rally successes; and turbocharging, developed with Fritz Indra, whom Piech recruited from Alpina. The Audi 100/200/5000 became the world's fastest production sedan, thanks to their superior aerodynamics. Piech also launched zinc-coated bodies for longevity — and gave diesel technology a decisive boost with the advent of the fast and ultra-efficient TDI engines. Less known: Piech also decided to put larger gas tanks into cars. Customers loved it. Piech's first-generation Audi V8 was met with derision by competitors; it was too obviously based on the 200/5000.

Bentley recalls 27,640 Continental, Flying Spur models

Even the world's most luxurious automakers aren't immune to recalls. Bentley is proving this point with a campaign on 27,640 of its posh models worldwide for a loose battery cable connection, Reuters reports. The problem affects all examples of the Continental GT, GTC, and Flying Spur with build dates between February 2011 and June 2014, and there are 7,778 of them in the US, according to company spokesperson Erin Bronner to Autoblog. "On a limited number of cars, a bolted connection for a battery cable joint could be loose where it passes through the front bulkhead," Bentley said in a statement. According to Bronner, there were four incidents were this electrical joint overheated, but there have been no reports of any injuries. As a repair, dealers will install a new connection system, which will take around two hours. Scroll down below for the entire statement. Related Video: Bentley Statement: Bentley Motors is conducting a precautionary voluntary recall of all Continental GT/GTC/Flying Spur and new Flying Spur models built between February 2011 and June 2014. On a limited number of cars, a bolted connection for a battery cable joint could be loose where it passes through the front bulkhead. To address this, we will replace the components with a new connection system for all vehicles, which will take approximately two hours per car. All Bentleys built outside of these dates, and all Mulsanne models, are unaffected. The safety of our customers is Bentley's foremost priority and we pride ourselves on the highest standard of quality and service. We are working quickly to ensure that all vehicles are checked and resolved efficiently and effectively. Customers are being contacted by their local Bentley dealer to arrange an appointment. This is a voluntary recall and is in no way connected to any other recalls from other automotive manufacturers.

Bentley SUV spotted wearing its own suit

It's been over two years since Bentley unveiled its first SUV concept at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. In the time since, Bentley has sent it back to the drawing board and started development, embodied just a couple of weeks ago as a test mule wearing the bodywork of an Audi Q7, the replacement for which will share its underpinnings with the new Bentley. But what we have here is our best look yet at the forthcoming big Bentley.
Now wearing its own suit (albeit a heavily camouflaged one), this Bentley SUV prototype was recently spotted undergoing testing. And judging from the NewBentley.com stickers plastered along its flanks and rear bumpers, it seems like the crew from Crewe wanted us to see it - or at very least has resigned itself to the fact that we probably would.
The prototype is already wearing the new round headlamps that were part of the redesign, as well as LED taillights, and the interior photos snapped through the windows give us an idea of what to expect from the completed cabin, including the digital instrument cluster and head-up display at the base of the windshield.