A GRAND NEW BENTLEY

Mulsanne unveiled at Pebble Beach PREVIEW: BENTLEY MULSANNE

A GRAND NEW BENTLEY New Bentley Mulsanne Makes World Debut at Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance By Roy Nakano After countless makeovers of the Arnage design and an equal number of variations of the Continental, I wasn't quite prepared for an all-new vehicle from Bentley Motors. But that's just what Bentley introduced at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance in Monterey, California. Bentley says the new Mulsanne is inspired by the company founder W.O. Bentley's crowning achievement in 1930, the 8-litre. This early motoring work represented the last big Bentley that was designed, engineered and built from the ground up by Bentley engineers - until now. Nearly 80 years later, while paying respect to this illustrious past, the new Mulsanne is the company's modern statement of luxury driving and grand touring. Conceived, styled and engineered entirely at Bentley's headquarters in Crewe, England, the Mulsanne, with its completely new and unique platform, goes into production next year in a new manufacturing facility within the Crewe factory. Introducing the Bentley Mulsanne at Pebble Beach, where Bentley was the featured marque, Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley Motors, said: "The challenge we set our engineers was to create a new grand Bentley that would stand as the pinnacle of British luxury motoring, offering the world's most exclusive driving experience. They have responded to this challenge with real passion and the result is a luxury grand tourer that sets new standards in terms of comfort, effortless performance and hand-crafted refinement - the very qualities for which Bentley is renowned." The Bentley design team was lead by Dirk van Braeckel. "From the very first hand sketches in the styling studio, we were inspired by the traditions of the grand touring Bentleys and have sought to evolve this story for a new generation of Bentley enthusiasts." The return of the Mulsanne name to a car carrying Bentley's iconic 'Winged B' emblem underlines the company's racing pedigree and nowhere reflects that heritage better than the famed Le Mans circuit, the scene of no fewer than six Bentley triumphs. Few places offer a stronger or more emotive connection with the Bentley marque than the famed Mulsanne corner. "The 8-litre's breathtaking performance and quality was perhaps the finest example of a 'pure' grand Bentley. Every mechanical detail carried W.O. Bentley's unique stamp and it was the clearest demonstration of a car built without compromise" commented Dr. Ulrich Eichhorn, Member of the Board Engineering. "The Mulsanne has been designed with exactly the same guiding principles, so it is entirely fitting that these Bentleys from different eras share the same stage." The Bentley Mulsanne will go on sale from mid 2010. It will also be displayed at the forthcoming IAA Frankfurt Motor Show (15-27th September, 2009) where Bentley Motors will provide additional product information.