Auto & Car Blog

Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Supercars, Bentley, Maybach, Rolls-Royce, Lifestyle

If you’ve got it, flaunt it. The super high-end automotive market has been counting on that attitude for years, and it may now be coming back to bite them. It seems that sales of luxury marques such as Bentley, Maybach and Aston Martin have been on a downward trajectory over the last year. Despite the fact that there are a number of people who still have plenty of dough to purchase these expensive toys, public perception is causing some of them to hold back and keep those fat wallets in their pockets.

To combat the problem, some high-end brands are choosing to aim even higher. If ex-customers with a net-worth of less than $5 million find it socially unacceptable to make a purchase, Bentley has said it will begin marketing to those with at least a net worth of $25 million. Let us add that we’ve driven a few Bentleys and Rollers and can say with certainty that they are definitely conspicuous in a sea of CamCords and Mustangs.

[Source: Advertising Age]

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Bentley

The latest Bentley Arnage is doing the rounds in Spain, but it isn’t the sedan’s appearance that’s news, it’s how it might be powered. As far as cosmetic bodywork, the changes appear minimal, including new fog light placement, rear apron and exhaust exit. A little more substantially, the car is widened at the B-pillar, which should finally give back bench passengers the kind of room that befits a Bentley sedan.

Exterior and interior tweaks aside, what’s under the hood is where things are supposedly cracking. Rumors that we can only guess are highly speculative suggest that the coming Arnage will get a diesel engine. We’re not sure if those rumor-mongers got the memo a month ago in which Bentley CEO Josef Paefgen stated there will be no diesel Bentleys. But supposing one of Rudolph’s children was dropped in that massive engine bay, suspects are Audi’s V12 TDI for the standard model, and the Veyron’s W16 to create a thermonuclear Arnage T. Sign us up.

[Source: Global Motors]

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Bentley

Click for a hi-res gallery of the Bentley SenseS concept

An outside perspective can do wonders for an automaker. In this case, we’re not sure ourselves what to make of this concept, let alone what Bentley would do with it. The British luxury marque actually commissioned Arturo Peralta, a Spanish automotive designer, to come up with this concept that he calls the SenseS.

While pursuing his second MA in vehicle design, Peralta interned at Pininfarina, where, judging from the striking similarities, he either had an integral part in designing the Sintesi concept or else made off with the blueprints in his briefcase. Peralta waxes poetic about the relationship he envisions that the Bentley SenseS would share with its driver and the environment around it, thanks in part to - wait for it - Genetic Engineering, but offers little in the way of actual details aside from the translucent body panels and suggesting that the vehicle would be powered by the wind. In the end, don’t expect to see this design shaping the direction of the next Continental… somehow we don’t think the twin-turbo W12 would quite fit in there.

[Source: Car Body Design]

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Last October 27, 2006 at the Arena Civica in Milan, Italy, the Mini Cooper, Volkswagen Eos and a host of other stunning automobiles emerged victorious at the XIV L’Automobile più Bella del Mondo or The World’s Most Beautiful Automobile” competition for 2006. The international jury led by Bruno Alfieri, the Italian journalist and editor who […]

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Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Etc., Euro, Bentley

A 550-horsepower Bentley? A winter vacation in Finland? Sounds like the perfect combination, and the boys at Bentley have got it hooked up with the Bentley Ice Driving Experience.

Plenty of upscale marques offer advanced driving courses to show you how to get the most out of your shiny new toy, but Bentley’s program blows snow right in their faces. Professional instructors put participants behind the wheel of an all-wheel-drive Continental GT coupe and “take you and the car to the limit and safely back again” on frozen lakes. They’ll also throw in some snowmobiling in the snow-blanketed Finnish countryside. After an experience like that, we’d bet black ice and unplowed highways will seem like child’s play Check out the details at BentleyMotors.com

[Source: 4DriversOnly via German Car Blog]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Etc., Bentley, Lifestyle, UK

Click above for more images of the Bentley luggage collection by Dunhill

Dunhill, the English leather goods maker, has worked with then Bentley Design Team to create a five-piece luggage set. Huzzah! Not only does the fluting on the bags echo the fluting on your Arnage’s seats, but the luggage trim is done in knurled aluminum. The entire set consists of a briefcase, large and small suitcases, a washbag, and a weekend bag. You can expect to pay £4,300, before options. But then, if you’re an Arnage owner, you’re probably more concerned with finding out if you can get leather to match your seats. Check out the gallery below for more photos.

[Source: Sybarites]

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Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA, Tuners, Coupes, Bentley

What does SEMA mean to you? For most of us, it’s a place for the country’s top tuners to show their wares to a power-hungry public. But the dark side of SEMA never ceases to rear its ugly head, and further proof will be available at the Toyo booth where the Tetsu GTR Bentley Continental GT will be displayed.

The unholy brainchild of Japanese tuner ASI features a custom carbon fiber wide-body kit that makes ASMA’s unfortunate creations look demure in comparison. The two-tone paint scheme… uhhh… compliments the massive haunches, deep side skirts and GT-style wing, while 22-inch blingalicious rollers prove that chrome is still in high demand… unfortunately.

According to Modified Luxury and Exotics, only 29 Tetsu GTRs will be produced, each putting out over 800 hp. We’ll be on hand to provide live shots of the other five vehicles featured at the Toyo stand, assuming our camera lens doesn’t crack when we zoom in on the GTR’s gaudy fascia.

[Source: Modified Luxury and Exotics]

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