Posts Comments

You are here: Home / Archives for Bentley

SMMT Test Day South

October 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Apparently there’s a North/South divide – I wouldn’t know. Being brought up in the south, but born in the north, I can tolerate both flat cap-wearing, whippet-fancying northerners and shandy-drinking southerners in equal measure. As if to illustrate my aversion to geographical stereotyping, I live in neutral territory – Birmingham, the Switzerland of Britain if you will. Only without the captivating Alpine vistas. Or cheese.

But the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) sees fit to split up the geographically opposed factions of motoring journalists – holding two regional ‘test’ days when car journos gather to drive important new machinery from an array of manufacturers. The SMMT South event happened on a very wet day in October, and I popped along to sample some un-tried metal. I’ve distilled my thoughts below.

2012 Bentley Continental GTC V8 Review

If a certain Tory MP were to choose his ideal car, I reckon he’d opt for this banana yellow Bentley, because it’s just the ticket for intimidating plebs* in lesser vehicles. On copping an eyeful of the boldly-hued behemoth in the rear-view, the great unwashed smartly move aside, allowing the big-deal-at-the-wheel to waft imperiously past. At least that was my experience as I guided the high-vis Bentley down the fast lane of the M3 – it simply parted the sea of Mondeos and Civics in biblical fashion.

Bentley Continental GTC V8

The magnificent Bentley Continental GTC V8

Of course, being a Bentley, it has other attributes as well as that colour (Aztec Sun, since you asked). Chiefly the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 motor, which aside from sporting an ample 500bhp, is an aural extravaganza – hushed and muted but with latent menace when cruising on part throttle. Open the taps and it snarls like a Rottweiler which has just been punched in the nose.

The pleasure vs. pain equation that comes with big power and weight has been skewed too – clever cylinder shutdown technology means the engine is actually a V4 most of the time, so it’s not as if driving it is akin to holding two fingers up at Greenpeace. Which is nice.

2012 Bentley Continental GTC

2012 Bentley Continental GTC

The fact it monsters the 0-62mph dash in 4.7 seconds, despite weighing 2.5 tonnes is incomprehensible – but it feels every bit as capable as those figures suggest.

Then there’s the lashings of cow, chrome, aluminium and contrasting yellow stitching lining the beautifully finished cockpit. That combo may sound as tastefully restrained as a traveller’s wedding dress – but somehow it works. There’s also a sublime Naim sound system to make audiophiles dribble. I couldn’t resist the massive yellow Bentley’s anglo-german cocktail of garish opulence.

The verdict? As that bloke off The Fast Show would say – ‘brilliant’.

  • Need to know – 2012 Bentley Continental GTC V8:
  • Engine: 4.0-litre V8, twin-turbo, 500bhp
  • Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
  • Price: £136,250 (£171,000 as tested)
  • Performance: 0-60mph – 4.7 seconds, max speed – 187mph

2012 Vauxhall Astra VXR Review

Hot hatches have ceased to float my boat of late. Climbing the car ladder, I’ve left behind my Golf GTI and R32 owning days -  with AMGs and Ms usurping souped-up hatches as the objects of my car lust. The advent of the super-hatch has once again piqued my interest – and hatches don’t come much more super than Vauxhall’s latest effort – the Astra VXR.

Yet I still hopped into Vauxhall’s electric blue example full of preconceptions. Chief amongst which was the unfounded suspicion that spending time with this 276bhp front-wheel drive Vauxhall in monsoon conditions would be as relaxing as sitting next to a Buckfast-swigging Glaswegian on a train. I was wrong.

2012 Vauxhall Astra VXR

2012 Vauxhall Astra VXR

Turns out the VXR is surprisingly grown-up and sophisticated. Despite that healthy power output, the HiPerStrut suspension and trick front differential keep torque steer nicely in check. Given asbo-levels of throttle in wet conditions I could make it squirm – but for a car with 276bhp pulsing through the front wheels it does a damn good job of being both civilised and sodding quick – 5.9 seconds to 60mph is pretty impressive stuff from an Astra. The slightly synthetic wooshing sound when the turbo is on boost was less so – but given its other talents, forgivable.

The interior too, is surprisingly tactile and made the Focus ST’s dash feel a bit Tesco Value. Pushing the VXR button – which sharpens throttle response and makes the dampers a bit spikier – turns the dials a sinister red which is a bit naff, if I’m being honest. Which I am.

But those winged bucket seats deserve special mention -  hugging and gripping in all the right places, they make this hairy Vauxhall feel like a special place to sit. Ok – £27k isn’t cheap for an Astra, but it is bloody capable – and a real looker. Impressive stuff, thanks Vauxhall.

  • Need to know – 2012 Vauxhall Astra VXR:
  • Engine: 2.0-litre four cylinder turbo, 276bhp
  • Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
  • Price: £26,995
  • Performance: 0-60mph – 5.9 seconds, max speed – 155mph (limited)

2012 BMW M135i Review

And so, then I moved on to the BMW M135i. This Fisher Price my-first-M-Car sure is ugly, but it goes like the clappers.

Actually, the bonkers-fast 1-Series deserves more than two sentences – it was my drive of the day. Ambling up to it I couldn’t help thinking my initial summation of the baby Beemer’s looks remains spot on – it does look like a sloth from the front. But get inside and you just don’t care.

2012 BMW M135i

Hideously good – the BMW M135i

BMW’s test car was fitted with the optional eight-speed paddle-shift auto. Teamed with the Twinpower 316bhp 3.0-litre straight-six, this is one grin-inducing ugly duckling. The powertrain has a captivating combination of rifle bolt gearchanges and seemingly endless lag-free grunt on tap. It’s furiously quick for a humble 1er – smashing through the 60mph barrier in 4.9 seconds and all the while feeling like an utterly engaging and exploitable rear-drive companion. Partially disengage the DSC and it’s also willing to wag its tail quite nicely – as I found on the exit of a rain-soaked roundabout.

The M135i is a joy machine, so much so that I seriously considered running off with the keys. It’s also something of a bargain at under £30k. I don’t care about the looks, I’m having a whip round to see if I can buy one.

  • Need to know – 2012 BMW M135i:
  • Engine: 3.0-litre six cylinder turbo, 316bhp
  • Transmission: Eight-speed automatic (optional), rear-wheel drive
  • Price: £29,995
  • Performance: 0-60mph – 4.9 seconds (auto), 5.1 seconds (man), max speed – 155mph (limited)

*said Tory MP may never have actually used the word pleb.

Filed Under: General Blogging, Road Tests Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Bentley Sunglasses prove popular

August 25, 2011 by 1 Comment

Bentley eyes up the high-end sunglasses market

Picture the scene. You’ve got the Bentley, you’ve probably got the diamond-encrusted Vertu phone. But what happens when you need a more compact statement of wealth than a two-tonne Bentley? In return for a wheelbarrow full of notes, Bentley Eyewear not only protects your peepers from the sun’s harmful rays, but provides a silent way of saying to the proletariat – ‘Out of my way, I’m dripping with money’.

Bentley Eyewear

Well, why not? You only get one pair of eyes, so why not cloak them in the most opulent ocular extravagance available. Bentley’s ‘Mulsanne’ range of sunglasses are handmade in Germany by high-end eyewear maker, Estede. Available in 18ct gold, silver palladium or platinum, the Bentley Eyewear range is, predictably, eye-wateringly expensive. Starting at 10,000 Euros for the gold aviators and rising to 31,500 Euros for platinum-framed versions, wealthy customers in China and Russia have already been queueing up to buy the natty shades.

Zeiss polarised lenses provide wearers with 100% UV protection, whilst an engraved Bentley ‘B’ emblem adorns the handcrafted frames. The perfect accessory to a pair of Bentley specs, is of course, a Bentley, which is why a hard case has been specially designed to slot neatly into the centre console of the Bentley Mulsanne. And furthering the opportunity for cross-selling, customers can have a leather presentation case trimmed in the same hide as their Bentley interior.

Find out more here – Bentley Eyewear

Filed Under: General Blogging Tagged With: , ,

Sold in 60 Seconds

December 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Click link to see magazine feature.

Car auctions. Exhaust fume-ridden haunts of the shady car dealer, right? Not necessarily. If you’ve ever bought a used performance or prestige car, it’s likely your hunting ground would have been classified ads on the likes of Pistonheads or Autotrader, and assuming you aren’t salesman-averse, the dealer forecourt. Buying a top end car from auction means leaving most of your sensible buyer intincts at home. So is it worth it?

BCA's Top Car auctions feature a diverse range of metal

To an auction virgin, mixing with the likes of hardened traders brandishing CAP guides and Arthur Daleyisms, it can be off-putting. Buying under the hammer is a calculated risk when you are spending four figures, but when you are parting with serious wedge, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s foolhardy. Actually it isn’t as stupid an idea as it sounds, but you may still require unfeasibly large cojones to go through with it.

One of several GT-Rs on offer, this had less than 2k on the clock

There is one blindingly obvious reason for throwing your buyers’ comfort zone out of the window – price. In return for shouldering a load of risk you can often save yourself thousands. But if you do choose the auction route, be prepared to dip your hand into an automotive tombola. You may go along with a particular car in mind, but come away with something entirely different, the only limiting factor being your wallet, and your willpower.

To test this theory, I went along to November’s ‘Top Car’ auction, at BCA’s Nottingham branch to nosey at some of the precious metal going under the hammer. As Europe’s largest vehicle auction group, British Car Auctions handle a substantial amount of high-end machinery from a variety of sources, the majority of them finance and leasing companies. When I visited, the auction hall was crammed with a smörgâsbord of exotica. Ferraris, Porsches, Bentleys, Astons, Jags, and to be honest anything the trade might call ‘a bit tasty’.

How about a ’98 Ferrari 550 Maranello in Grigio Titanio? In 1998 the flagship prancing horse would have been £144k in ‘basic’ spec. Some 12 years and 35k miles on, owner number one got bored and chopped it in at a Bentley dealer, so there it was, looking forgotten in a corner of the auction hall. It reached £32,800 – not much for a fully historied, one owner V12 Fezzer – and a useful saving over the retail ‘book’ value of £40,250. If you are of a more patriotic leaning, then an 8k mile 2007 ’07 Aston V8 Vantage Roadster, which looked fresh out of the box was staggering value at £51k, compared to a retail price of £61k. Just be thankful you didn’t part with £94k for the privilege of being the first name on the V5. There was more eclectic metal on offer too – a 55 plate Alpina B5 V8S made a paltry £18k, compared to £62k new. Meanwhile at the ‘budget’ end, an E39 BMW M5 on a ’99 V plate struggled to reach £4,500 against a retail book value of £9.5k. Word of warning though, not all auction buys are the conspicuous bargains you would expect. A grossly un-PC 2008 Hummer made £31k, against its book retail value of £30k. One of a brace of F430s on offer also made a silly £10k north of the retail value, which makes no sense at all.

Ferrari 550 with 35k miles made £32k against a retail value of £40k

If this has whetted your appetite and you are thinking of going the auction route, you can make it less of a leap into the unknown by doing a bit of groundwork before you get there. BCA publish catalogues online, complete with vehicle descriptions that include more info than ever before. You can see pictures, check the MOT expiry (assuming it has one), whether it has service history and when it was last serviced, along with mileage (and whether they are ‘warranting’ it as correct). You can also download a condition report which grades the car on a scale of one to five according to what kind of state it is in, one being a minter, five bringing new meaning to the word used. The condition of auction lots will always be declared, and the majority sold ‘without major mechanical faults’. In the event something has a dubious past, the catalogue description or the auctioneer will make it known, so HPI checks aren’t needed.

And when you get there – be ready. Cars are pushed through the hall in a fast and furious manner. About 3 minutes before it gets driven in front of the rostrum your target will be unlocked, and started. This is your opportunity to open all the doors, check for squiffy paint, signs it’s been ‘bent’, and peer at the dashboard for tell-tale warning lights. Finally, don’t fall prey to the myth that you can buy a car if you sneeze – the auctioneer will look for eye contact as confirmation you are bidding. When the hammer falls and you realise you’ve saved yourself thousands, bought your dream car and avoided the middle man, it’s a buzz like no other.

　

Filed Under: Articles and Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Paris 2010

October 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The purse strings of the British Motor Industry may be pulled from abroad these days, but based on the offerings at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, Blighty is not just alive and kicking, but taking centre stage. Here’s a patriotic rundown of what’s on offer from our side of the Channel.

Lotus

Lotus, usually a bit leftfield with their business strategy, have not disappointed this year. Rather than stretch out their share of the limelight beyond one motor show they chose Paris 2010  to unveil not one new model, but five. You have to admire the ambition of this bold new strategy, even if you do temper that with slight concern that new CEO Danny Bahar is trying to take on the world a bit too soon.

All but one are tantalising prospects, and have been penned with a sharp, technological style. The new Esprit, due in 2013 is pitched by Bahar as ‘the ultimate supercar’. And so it should be with a mid-mounted 5.0 V8, 611bhp and polished Lotus handling. Their make or break car – the new Elise, will be out in 2015 – some 20 years after the iconic original broke cover. Seems a long time to wait for such a crucial new model, but then Lotus let the Esprit soldier on for decades, and it was at its zenith when they pensioned it off.

Plugging the gap between Elise and Esprit will be the Elan, due out in 2013 - 444bhp and less than 1300 kilos should give it a useful advantage over the cooking 911 Carrera rival. There’s also the Maserati Granturismo rivalling Elite, a 2+2 GT sharing the 611bhp lump from the Esprit, due in 2014. Now pause for breath. Last, and possibly least, is the Eterne which noses right into Panamera/ Aston Rapide four-door supercar territory. I want that last one to work, but I think maybe Lotus are stretching themselves one niche too far.

Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover revealed the Evoque for the first time in the metal, their ‘baby’ Range Rover. The pictures reveal an impossibly high waistline, and tapering glass house that lend it a menacing stance. To these eyes it’s a desirable looking machine, but you may want to tick the parking sensor option given the letterbox sized rear window. 

Range Rover Evoque

With a mooted starting price around £30k attached to a name as aspirational as Range Rover it is surely destined to sell as fast as they can make it. But with manufacturers raiding endless niches and often inventing new ones in the pursuit of a greater slice of the pie, I can’t help but wonder whether doing the Russian Doll routine with Land Rovers’ crown jewels is going to dilute the brand.

Jaguar

Jaguar celebrated its 75 year milestone in style by pulling the covers off their XK sized C-X75 concept. Overall, visually arresting but paying homage to Jaguars’ past, the front end treatment signposts Jaguar’s new design language. In Jaguar PR-speak it’s a ‘range-extended electric two seater supercar’, and they aren’t kidding – theoretically it can manage a zero tailpipe emission range of 68 miles and a faintly outrageous 205mph. This is when running solely on battery power to drive the 195bhp electric motors sited at each wheel. It also employs mid-mounted micro gas turbines producing 188bhp, to either charge the batteries and extend the range to a monumental 560 miles, or to provide additional power in ‘track’ mode. So – 205mph, 0-60 in 3.4 seconds and a Co2 figure of just 28 grams per km on the EU test cycle – welcome to the dawn of the socially responsible supercar.

Bentley

Nothing totally new here, but if you are orange and live in Alderley Edge, listen up. It’s almost seven years since Bentley launched the Continental GT, and whilst they haven’t unveiled a ground-up new model, they’ve given the old girl a face-lift, sharpening up some of the blobby edges. It’s altogether a more agressive and muscular look, with a re-profiled front end, more upright grille and tighter rear haunches. They have also reworked the W12 power plant, which now pushes out 567bhp and 516lb ft of torque. Bentley will hand you the keys to a new Conti GT in exchange for around £135k.

Thought for the day

It’s impossible not to notice a shift in the language used by these car companies – talk of ‘propulsion systems’ where once you would have expected to hear ‘engine’ or ‘drivetrain’, signpost the re-birth of what has been seen as a declining industry. For someone hooked on the noise, smell and oily goodness of the internal combustion engine, it feels like the motor industry is gradually closing a door on fossil fuel power. It’s been hard to want to get fully behind this shift in priorities, even though the industry had to change to appease legislators and politicians . But Jaguar is reinventing itself and proving that when one door closes, another one opens. The C-X75 may be just another mouth-watering concept, but it showcases Jaguars’ fascinating new direction for design and technology and gives a glimpse of the tech we will see trickling down into production models. The future is not going to be filled with dull, anodyne Prius-alike ecoboxes, but 205mph gas-turbine assisted four-wheeled power stations. Can’t wait.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,