Car Throttle

Introducing the most economical Continental Bentley have ever made. It's not a hybrid nor is it electric but it has a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 petrol. Okay so that doesn't sound very efficient does it? The new V8 Continental GT and GTC will go on sale in 2012 after launch at the Detroit Motor Show in January along side the mighty 6.0L twin-turbo W12 variants we know and love but the V8s have several tricks up their sleeve to help save you some money on fueling them. For instance the amount of cylinders the engine uses varies depending on how and where you are driving it. If you are popping out to town or you're crawling through traffic it will use only 4 of the cylinders but if

I'm almost done with the Los Angeles car spotting articles.  In these last two sections, we'll be looking at two dealers in Hollywood to give you a taste of the good life.  Going down Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood, in search of an In-N-Out Burger (which I can report is just as good as everyone says it is!), I saw this Rolls Royce Corniche convertible parked curbside.  Hmm... And a jet-black Bentley Turbo R behind it.  If there's a better name for a Bentley out there than Turbo R, I'm not aware of it.  I got out of the car and wandered up the sidewalk into the front lot of Charles Agapiou Ltd Bentley/Rolls Servicing and Sales.  A dealer and shop that specializes in

Sometimes I realize I have a certain lack of perspective when it comes to the car thing.  Perhaps it's a regional thing.  I'm in Los Angeles for a few days (a family member is getting married), and some of the cars that raise eyebrows in Raleigh would be taxis around here.  If there's an area in the US that embraces car culture more fully than the city of Angels, I'm not sure what it is.  This is a place where a C-class Mercedes is like a Taurus, and you routinely see more than ten Bentleys a day.  It's special.  My shutter finger has been getting tired.  Check it out. See, in the middle of the eastern seaboard, a CL55 AMG Supercharged is the kind of

Everyone who loves summer will be miserable just now, me being one of them, because summer is pretty much over and today, up here in Scotland, it is very cold and wet. The weather forecasters are saying that this year winter will probably be as harsh as the last two years which is fantastic news(!) Instead of moaning about it though we should think about the precautions we should take when it comes to driving in the forthcoming harsh conditions. There are the usual ones like make sure you have blankets and flasks full of hot drinks in the car with you as well as taking some extra snacks just in case you get stranded and that you should allow extra time for your journeys

Back in the 80's, 200 miles an hour was world-record territory for a road car. The F40 was the first stock production car to break the 200mph barrier, with others following after it.  Those early race-derived supercars were  raw, elemental thunderstorms of power and grip with little concession to human comfort. So it's a sign of great technical progress that a Finnish rally driver named Juha Kankkunen recently went 205mph in what is essentially a stock Bentley convertible, a leather-lined luxury rocket that's as far from an F40's rawness as one can possibly get.  What's so cool though?  It was 205mph on ice.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAWvAUuvT5A

I have to say, if I was going to shoot for the world speed record on ice, I'd probably

Last September, Bentley lifted the lid on its redesigned Continental GT. The first generation of the car proved to be a huge success for Bentley, helping to significantly increase the luxury division's sales over the last decade. So it when it came to replace the existing model, introduced in 2003, Bentley played it understandably safe. One of the big changes was the announcement that a V-8 engine would be available this year. The V-8 is a 4.0-liter unit that will serve as the car's new base model. The Continental GT when it was introduced was all about being a more accessible vehicle than the Arnage (now the all-new Mulsanne). The V-8 model looks set to continue that, offering a lower price tag. Autocar reports that

Bentley's Continental lineup has been an undisputed success. Bentley's resurgence was predicated primarily on the increases in sales that these two models brought, as the Arnage carried over from the pre-Volkswagen days. The GT coupe is no doubt the star of the lineup, but the Flying Spur came along after in 2005 to provide something for those looking for a four-door version. The Continental lineup is now about to enter its second-generation, with the evolutionary 2012 Continental GT introduced in September of this year. The redesigned Flying Spur has yet to be introduced, but it is on its way. Like with the Continental GT and GTC, Series 51 models are being introduced as a sendoff to the outgoing model. The packages mainly focus on individuality, adding 14 different

While the Mercedes-Benz CLS doesn't compete in the ultra-luxury range of $100,000 and above, it has spurred similar entries both above and below. The Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera compete above it, while models like the Volkswagen Passat CC aim to copy it. The CLS is finally getting some direct competition in the form of Audi's A7 Sportback, and even more could is coming with BMW's approval of its Gran Coupe Concept for production. Lamborghini is said to be seriously considering the prospect with the Evoque and Bentley's next model is likely to be the 16C Galibier. But what about Bentley? It could be considering a four-door coupe model of its own. The company has a history with segment-blending models like the shooting brake two-door wagon. Thankfully, it

Bentley recently closed a very successful chapter in its history, and began a new one with the introduction of the second-generation Continental GT. The Continental GT, first introduced in 2002 at the Paris Auto Show, has helped to drastically increase the brand's sales over the past decade. Since its introduction, over 46,000 Continentals (nearly half being the GT coupe) have been built. It doesn't come cheap though - for 2010 the Continental GT carried a price of $182,800. As expected, the new model gets that price tag increased even further. Not by much though, with the new price for the Continental GT coming in at $189,900. That is just $7,100 more, or about 4 percent. That figure is pocket change for those buying the car. For that price,

Ever since 2003, the Continental GT has been one of our favorite cars period. The big, luxurious GT is the perfect blend of Bentley's British attributes. Ironically, this has all come under Volkswagen's German ownership. Rival BMW has also seen Rolls-Royce flourish. With Bentley sales significantly increased due to the Continental GT and Flying Spur models, they are the most important models in Bentley's lineup. We think the brand did a fantastic job with the new-generation car. It takes one of our favorite vehicles and makes it better. If you think so too, you can visualize your dream Continental GT with what Bentley calls the "visualiser." With it you can pick from 100 different Bentley colors on the exterior and a mix of different combinations inside, along with different wheel