Those old enough to remember the magnificent Bentley Mulliner and Park Ward-bodied coupes of the 1950s and 1960s are likely to swoon over the new Brooklands, claimed by its now Volkswagen-owned maker to be the world’s most exclusive coupe.
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That’s because total production of this massive four seater – launched this week at Geneva with the greatest amount of rear seat and leg room we’ve seen in a coupe – will be limited to 550 cars. The engine is most powerful Bentley V8 to date, and both the car and its name apparently were inspired by the exploits of the famous ‘Bentley Boys’ at the Brooklands racetrack in the 1920s.
It’s “a stylish, four-seat, grand touring coupe with classic British proportions and muscular performance,” the show press blurb purrs.
Bentleys chairman Franz-Josef Paefgen described the motivation behind the new coupe: “Bentley’s proud sporting pedigree, forged by the exploits of the immortal ‘Bentley Boys’ on the famous Brooklands racetrack in the 1920s, was the inspiration for our new coupe, capturing all the style, power and splendour of that era.”
That V8 is a 530bhp, twin-turbocharged, 6.75-litre unit that also produces a massive 1050Nm of torque.
It is joined to a six-speed transmission with strengthened casing, a locking torque converter and ESP system. A semi-automatic function allows manual gear selection.
The Brooklands’ cabin is wider both front and rear than the previous Bentley Continental R coupe – the rear by 10% – and it easily exceeds the interior leg, knee and headroom of any luxury coupe on sale today, Bentley claims. Individual rear seats with electrically operated sliding cushions, set further back than on the Azure, are separated by a new centre console, incorporating both storage and cup holders.
Each car will be hand-assembled, employing traditional coach-building techniques and the craftsmanship skills in wood veneer and leather hide for which the brand is renowned. Deliveries start in the first half of 2008. CO2 emissions? Don’t ask.
