The Demo Site

Bentley GTC Speed

The Bentley GTC has only been out for two years and a bit, but you might not know that; the car is so popular in some parts that it has become something like Ugg Boots for the monied-up automotive fashionista. Like its other Continental stablemates, Bentley has finally taken the drophead into their Speed garage for the transformation from really fast to "Egads!" fast.

It emerges from said garage with its twin-turbo W12 producing 553 lb-ft. of torque and 600 horsepower - 100 ponies more than the Azure T, making it the most powerful convertible Bentley has ever made. The Speed treatment alters the front end, with a more upright, dark-tinted matrix grille flanked by chrome bezels around the headlights, and the face is framed by firmer lines sweeping up from the lower air dam.

While it is still not - and isn't mean to be - a sports car, the handling ante is upped by a lowered ride height, low-friction dampers, stiffer rear axle bushings, wider tires, and retuned steering. When it's time to stop, newly available carbon-ceramic brakes, at 16.5 inches up front and 14 inches in back, are the largest factory-fitted brakes on a passenger car today.

When it's time to get on it, you'll reach 60 in 4.5 seconds, and with the top up you'll find terminal velocity is 200 miles-per-hour with the lid up. Should you not wish to go easy on your follicles, the GTC will still reach 195 mph with the top down - just make sure to lather up your 'do with plenty of product.

There are two new official exterior paint choices from the factory: Aquamarine and Blue Crystal, and you can get the interior done in Aquamarine as well. However, since Bentley's bespoke department will make your GTC any color you want, that's probably of little concern to most buyers. Even so, we must ask: who's been requesting an Aquamarine interior? Check out the full GTC Speed press release after the jump, and the gallery of high-res photos below.

Hamann Bentley Continental GT

No stranger to tuning supercars like the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, Hamann's most recent addition to its parts catalog is the Bentley Continental GT and and GT Speed. There's no word on what will exactly be available for the brawny two-seater, but judging from the photos it looks like pretty standard Hamann fare. A new body kit consists of a more aggressive front fascia, side skirts, rear wing, and a lower rear fascia that makes room for a new exhaust system with quad tips. Inside, carbon fiber replaces the carefully crafted wood trim. We'll be sure to bring you more details and plenty of photos as soon as Hamann releases them.

Silk handkerchiefs at the ready, it's going to be a tearful goodbye! This is the last-in-the-line Arnage, a model that stretches back 10 years and was the ultimate in opulent design and crushing performance. Appropriately named the Arnage Final Series, the car's Paris appearance was a chance to bid farewell tothe much loved saloon.

To mark the end of an era, the Final Series will be limited to 150 models. It features the Arnage T's 500bhp 6.3-litre V8 and uses design influences from the Brooklands Coup. These include a larger front air intake, stainless steel kickplates and aluminium filler cap.

However, Bentley isn't feeling sentimental when it comes to the price... each example will cost £195,000.

Click above for high-res gallery of the Bentley Continental GT Speed

Ever since Bentley came out from under the shadow of Rolls-Royce after the Volkswagen takeover in the late 1990s, the marque has been on a roll. The venerable British brand started getting its first bespoke designs in over half a century, which paid off in a huge spike in sales. After topping 10,000 sales for the first time in 2007, Bentley is feeling the same force of gravity as everyone else (except Audi it seems) this year. So far sales have dropped by 30 percent in 2008 and the Crewe factory has already cut production by 15 percent. Further cuts are likely and Bentley is providing assistance to dealers who have too much inventory. With the situation on Wall Street unlikely to abate anytime soon, it appears that Bentley's 37 U.S. dealers will be feeling the pain for a while longer.

Bentley is going to officially unveil the Bentley Azure T at the LA Auto Show next week.

The Azure T is powered by a twin-turbocharged 6¾-liter V8 that puts out 500 horsepower and 737 lb-ft. of torque. This is an 11 percent improvement in horsepower and 14 percent improvement in torque over the lesser powered Azure. 0-60 mph comes in a fast (considering its weight) 5.2 seconds with a top speed of 179 mph.

The exterior of the Azure T features 20-inch five-spoke 'Bright Finish' alloy wheels, retractable 'Flying B' bonnet mascot, dark tint matrix upper and lower grilles, 'Le Mans' lower front wing air vents, and a Bentley 'Jewel' fuel filler cap.

Inside there is diamond quilting on the seats and door panels, drilled alloy brake and accelerator pedals, aluminum panels and "Bentley" embroidery.

Bentley has not announced the pricing for the Azure T.