The Bentley Mulsanne is a high end luxury limousine named after the back straight at LeMans. It was introduced as a 2011 model to replace the Bentley Brooklands and the Bentley Azure. The top of the line Mulsanne is powered by a 6.8 Liter twin turbo-charged V8 that is mated to an eight-speed automatic. This duo develops a maximum output of 506 HP and 752 lb-ft of torque.
Coupe and cabrio versions of the Bentley Mulsanne are also in the works.
Yesterday, there were reports that the new generation Porsche 911 would be around for the next 14 years, sprouting off a ton of variations in the process. The number of variants really isn’t anything new though. Wolfgang Durheimer had a hand in developing this game plan during his stay at Porsche and, now that he has moved on, Durheimer plans to do the same with Bentley. The Porschification of Bentley is further underway with the addition of ex-Porsche engineer, Rolf Frech, as Chief Engineer for Bentley starting in November 2011. Together, these two are ready to tackle Bentley’s future.
p>"We can make more of the Continental line up than we have today," Bentley CEO Wolfgang Durheimer said. "I could see it developing as the 911 derivatives did; lightweight models, special models, that was a very successful strategy. With the Mulsanne we get requests all the time for a longer wheelbase model, for instance. The question is whether we do it as a special order or put it on the model line. We are evaluating it, but I have no doubt we could also sell that type of car in the US and China."
Bentley’s new plans for their lineup include a Mulsanne convertible and coupe, as well as a few new versions for the Continental line-up currently consisting of the Supersports, Flying Spur, GT, and GTC models. Rumors about coupe and convertible versions of the Mulsanne have been circulating for some time now, but now it’s official. It is also believed that a Mulsanne convertible will revive the Azure name.
There’s always a fine line between ultra luxury and just being extravagantly over-the-top. British automaker, Bentley, knows a thing or two about luxury and at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the company showed off exactly what it’s all about with the new executive interior concept for the brand’s flagship model, the Mulsanne.
Turning the Mulsanne into an Apple multimedia connective hub, Bentley went completely bananas in outfitting it with just about every product Apple has on the market these days, save for an actual fruit basket of the doctor’s best friend. There are Apple iPads with Bluetooth keyboards, a Mini Mac in the boot compartment, and an Apple Media Center. The concept interior also carries ’W-Lan’ internet connectivity, and a 15.6" High Definition LED drop-down monitor. There are also two electric-powered, foldable wood veneer picnic tables, an illuminated center console, individual armrests for the rear seats, various new storage areas, and a Rear Seat Entertainment (RSE) and audio system.
If your head’s spinning from all the features included in the Executive Interior Concept, you’ll have to sit down, take a deep breath, and keep on reading. They’re not done. The final list of additions for the whole interior concept include a Tibaldi pen, a cooler, a Privacy Telephone handset, and numerous lights set-ups, as well as other ports and connectors.
According to Bentley, the whole set-up takes up to 170 hours, which means that all that hours spent working on the interior will warrant charges that will be beyond absurd. Bentley hasn’t announced how much it will cost, but you only need to read all the elements included to determine that it’s going to cost more than you can afford.
Bentley Motors and Estede are celebrating their first year anniversary of partnering together by releasing a limited series of solid gold sunglasses that will cost you the price of a decent-sized car.
We’re not joking; that’s just how Bentley and Estede roll.
The Bentley Estede Mulsanne sunglasses are available in either 18ct solid gold, silver palladium, or platinum with Bentley’s famed "B" logo settled in hand-polished enamel coating with full engraved surfaces. Each pair of sunglasses are made to order and will be individually numbered to only 100 pieces per color variation. What’s more, these glasses use special lenses that offer the latest in lens technology with state of the art lens coating.
So how much is a pair going to cost? Well, we advise you to sit down before you continue reading. The cheapest of the lot - the 18ct models - will set you back €7,700, which is about $11,000 based on current exchange rates. More expensive than that is the limited edition 18ct gold sunglasses that retails for €10,000, which is around $14,400. And then there’s the grand daddy of the collection: the platinum sunglasses. Each pair will set you back a ridiculous €31,500. Convert that and you get $45,400.
In the wake of what has been a busy week covering the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, we kind of left out a few important things taking shape this week, including the latest episode of National Geographic’s "Ultimate Factories".
The show, which actually airs tonight, will feature the latest handiwork of one of the world’s most exclusive and luxurious car brands, Bentley and their flagship luxury car, the Mulsanne.
Far and away, the Bentley Mulsanne is one of the most detailed cars to be built these days. Taking up well over nine weeks to build this precious masterpiece, the Mulsanne is finely-manicured to and designed with the greatest of care by the engineers working at the company’s production facility. One of the key ingredients that make up this world-class luxury car is the fine leather that’s personally hand-sewn by the people at Bentley Woodshop.
Seeing as the Mulsanne has over 300 wood panels and one panel takes over an hour to fully craft, you can imagine just how far and extensive Bentley goes to ensure that their customers receive nothing but the best in the Mulsanne.
To get you amped up for tonight’s episode, you can check out the teaser video National Geographic made.
It takes a man of a certain, shall we say, status to be able to have one of the most luxurious automakers in the world come pay him a visit in his own garage, bringing with it it’s new flagship luxury sedan.
If it were up to us, we wouldn’t hesitate for a second having Bentley over for some leftover cookies and milk in our homes, but we’re quite certain that even with the invitation, the folks form Crewe, England wouldn’t even give us the time of day.
But apparently, Jay Leno doesn’t even need to send invitations; Bentley will do the inviting for him. The late-night talk show host and car aficionado of a different kind recently hosted Bentley and it’s new pride and joy, the 2011 Mulsanne, in the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage.
In the episode, Leno is joined by Rodney Moore, Bentley’s Regional General Manager to talk shop about the 2011 Mulsanne and all its luxury goodness. As with almost every car that finds its way into Leno’s Garage, the comedian was given the keys to the luxury vehicle so he could take it out for a spin along the streets of Southern California. Not one to waste a perfectly good opportunity for a nice test drive, Leno works up the Mulsanne quite nicely during his run on the streets with it.
