Here is a news item I just found. Edited it to make a long story short. Have two on order, one for me and one for my wife. Yeah, right!!!!

The Bentley Continental GT will be the fastest four-seater coupe in the world. It will cost US$314,000. The car has just been launched in Europe.

Bentley, under VW custodianship since its divorce from Rolls-Royce, will start selling the Continental GT worldwide in October and the factory in Crewe, England plans to build just 3 600 units.

Bentley describes the Continental as a car that carries four people, transports their luggage and lifts their spirits. The four bucket seats are adult-sized and the 370-litre boot really will swallow the obligatory pair of golf bags.

The spirit-lifting, aside from those predatory curves and million-buck air of luxury (well, actually 2.4-million), comes from what's directly behind that chromed mesh grille and winged "B" badge: a six-litre W12 engine.

In its most potent guise yet, the VW group's 12-cylinder engine is twin-turbocharged to make 411kW of power.

That's good enough to reach 100km/h in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of more than 300km/h - Bentley's not part of the European gentlemen's agreement to restrict cars to 250km/h.

The VW group's 12-cylinder engine is twin-turbocharged to make 411kW
The engine, driving all four wheels through a six-speed automatic/sequential gearbox, has been designed to deliver consistent, explosive torque all the way to its red line.

Typically, a performance car engine will force the driver to wait until it is spinning at three to five thousand rpm before it will deliver maximum thrust; the Continental's urge, however, is on call at barely more than idle and hits its maximum of 650Nm at just 1600rpm.

It's the world's most compact 12-cylinder engine. Instead the cylinders being arranged conventionally in two long rows, each bank of cylinders is staggered, effectively creating two V6 engines turning a common crankshaft.

The resulting compactness aids weight distribution as a small engine is easier to locate nearer the centre of the car.

This in turn helps the overall packaging of the car and, in particular, its frontal crash performance, a crucial consideration in a Bentley which has a short front overhang as one of the main features of its design language.

The large inner headlights and snub nose are vintage Bentley while the muscular rear haunches and side profile reminisce Bentley's past without being retro.

The Continental GT is the first all-new and unique Bentley design for 70 years and the first to be manufactured for Bentley Motors alone since the fabled eight-litre of 1930.

The Bentley cup runneth over at the moment, with its cars having finished first and second at the Le Mans 24-hour race less recently.



Interior shot

 

Sounds like the add for a third generation Beetle.

 

Link to W-12 Engine info.

http://autozine.kyul.net/technical_s..._packaging.htm

Scroll down.........at the bottom there's even a W18 engine

 

My fourwheeler could whop that thing. :

 

Beat that with a souped up Dodge???<br>Well, lets hook a fifth wheel up to it and see how well that 12 cylinder could pull it up a 6% grade. <br> <br><br>Rich<br>

 

I was thinking about a 1,000 of chicken-stuff (right SR? ) in the trunk

 

No comparison. Wrinky-dink connecting rods .<br>Have you SEEN a Cummins connecting rod? ;D<br><br> <br><br>Chris

 

looks like the next Bond car 8)<br><br>I'd drive it

 

Hope they never have to work on it.