Tuesday, 22 November 2011
One of the fastest luxury-coupe
in the world, the Brooklands will be limited to only 500 units a year (thanks
God! Imagine if you could see this car everywhere you go!) and will be priced to
$330.000. And even if the first 500 units for the first year were sold out, I
wonder who will pay that much for it. I mean, lets be serious, for this money
you will have an Audi R8, a Porsche Turbo 997 and a BMW Z4 and you will still
have money for the gas!
2008 Bentley Brooklands
The car got its name after the
famous British race track where Bentley was a victor in the 1920s (back then,
Bentley was an icon f English motoring and had won four times the Le Mans).
The Brooklands is the coupe
version of the Arnage sedan and the Azure convertible. Larger than a Continental
GT, the Brooklands was designed to blend great performance and unbridled
opulence and is created for an exclusive clientele. The Brooklands takes its
design cues from the GT, one of the most successful cars for Bentley since its
unveiling in 2004.
The Brooklands marks Bentley’s
return to the luxury coupe market and reaffirms its reputation as creator of the
world’s most exclusive coupe. . It is the ultimate Bentley: a stylish,
four-seat, grand touring coupe with classic British proportions and muscular
performance.
2008 Bentley Brooklands
Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen describes
the motivation behind the new coupé: “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 coupé, capturing all the
style, power and splendour of that era.”
The sporty design is matched
with a powerful engine: the legendary Crewe-built V8 (the most powerful engine
Bentley has ever done). The engine develops 530 hp and a peak torque of 774
lbs-ft.
The Bentley Brooklands is
remarkably spacious cabin providing the ultimate in first-class travel for four
adults at any speed. The low, fast roofline with dramatically raked front and
rear screens and muscular lines give the Brooklands a distinctively sleek,
sporting stance.
2008 Bentley Brooklands
Each Brooklands will be
hand-assembled, employing traditional coach-building techniques and the
craftsmanship skills in wood veneer and leather hide for which Bentley is
renowned. To ensure exclusivity, lifetime production will be strictly limited to
just 550 cars, with deliveries expected to start in the first half of 2008.
Exterior Design
Bentley has a long history in the two-door luxury coupes market.
The ‘50s had been dominated by these British cars: the Park Ward Continental S1,
and then the Continental R and T from the ‘90s became collectors’ classics.
These three models had a major influence in the design and the character of the
Brooklands.
2008 Bentley Brooklands
When start working on this
luxury-coupe, Dirk van Braeckel and his design team wanted to create “a
powerful, muscular and rakish grand touring coupe with classic British
proportions, in the finest Bentley tradition.”
But, even if the 2008 coupe is
influenced by models from the 50s, its design and more than anything, it’s
engineering are thoroughly contemporary. The proportions of long bonnet, short
front overhang and long rear overhang achieve the design objective perfectly,
while the low roofline, steeply raked screens and pillarless side glass convey
both power and movement.
As the Brooklands will be built
in very limited volume, the designers were able to introduce unique features
that necessitate specialist coach-building techniques, as Programme Director,
Ashley Wickham, reveals: “The Brooklands’ beautiful flowing lines are testament
to the traditional coach-building skills and craftsmanship of Crewe’s highly
talented workforce.”
2008 Bentley Brooklands
The Brooklands’ fast flowing
roofline is a perfect example of those skills. To create the appearance of a
‘floating’ rear screen demanded by the design team, the rear quarter panel and
roof can only be joined by hand – impossible in mainstream production. This can
only be achieved by individually hand-welding the rear wings to the
C-pillars.
To further distinguished the
exclusive character of Brooklands, Bentley used “Le Mans” front wing vents, a
jeweled fuel filler cap, brushed aluminum ‘Bentley Brooklands’ treadplates and a
dark-tinted steel Bentley matrix grille with optional Flying ‘B’ retractable
radiator mascot.
Brooklands was created as a
sport coupe. And this intentions are reflected by larger diameter exhaust
tailpipe finishers with rifled detailing to the inside surface. Brooklands also
features unique underbonnet detailing with brushed aluminium ‘6 ¾ Liter
Brooklands’ engine plaque. Embossed Bentley logos appear on the intercoolers.
Each engine bears the signature of the team leader who oversaw its hand-built
construction in the Crewe factory.
2008 Bentley Brooklands
The fitment of 20-inch diameter
wheels as standard, signaling the surefooted, robust and dynamic character of
the new model, reaffirms the powerful stance of the new Bentley coupe.
Interior Design
While entering the car, you will be amazed by the luxury inside.
And you have to agree that Bentley really managed to accomplish their mission:
they created a luxury coupe with a distinctly sporting character. The richness
of the finest natural materials alongside with an extensive palette of hides,
veneers, carpet tones and seat belt colors make from the Brooklands a leaving
paradise.
2008 Bentley Brooklands
With room for four persons, the
Brooklands’ interior is a distinctly sporting atmosphere, complemented by design
accents such as aluminium foot pedals and footrest. A new, single-piece,
hide-trimmed roof lining flows uninterrupted from the front windscreen all the
way to the rear of the car, mirroring the long, sleek profile of the elegant
exterior.
The cabin headlining is made
entirely from leather, making Bentley the only car manufacturer in the world to
offer as standard a cabin entirely trimmed with leather hides. The entire
headlining is tightened and finished by hand to achieve the desired quality of
finish, a process that takes years of skilled practice to perfect.
The interior designers sought to
offer the very highest levels of comfort and legroom, in true Bentley grand
touring tradition, while the pillarless window design enhances the feeling of
space.
Brooklands use the Arnage rear
cabin structure; this is why Bentley’s engineers have created a vast rear seat
area that is larger than any other coupe in the world. The individual,
electronically reclining rear seats are set 100mm (4 inches) further back than
on Azure, benefiting leg room. They are also set 25mm lower than the Arnage,
resulting in a headroom of 939mm – just 24mm less than in the large saloon.
2008 Bentley Brooklands
The Brooklands’ cabin is wider
both front and rear than the previous Bentley Continental R coupé – the rear by
10 percent – and it easily exceeds the interior leg, knee and headroom of any
luxury coupe on sale today. This allows four adults to be accommodated in
supreme comfort. 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.
Brooklands uses the new Azure’s front seats with their
integrated seat belts and side airbags. Major features include bi-level electric
lumbar adjustment, a massage function, as well as tilting and extending front
cushions.
Brooklands’ customers will be
able to specify their car in an extensive choice of ‘standard fit’ colors which
includes 42 exterior paints (including new Venusian Grey and Titan Grey), 25
hides and three veneers.
2008 Bentley Brooklands
In common with all Arnage family
models, the wood veneers (including new Dark Stained Vavona) are premium quality
and unbleached for a more natural appearance. Three new hide colors (Anthracite
grey, Newmarket Tan and Cashew) are introduced with Brooklands. Customers may
also tailor their cars to their individual specification through Bentley
Mulliner’s bespoke color-matching service and selection of hide colors from
previous model years.
But all this luxury design had no meaning if under the hood you
wouldn’t see a powerful engine. And this is what makes the Brooklands so special
(in my opinion). With 530 hp, the Brooklands is the most powerful luxury-coupe
on the market.
If the GT was built on the Phaeton’s
all-wheel-drive platform, the Brooklands is built on has rear-wheel drive. The
luxury-coupe is powered by the most powerful Crewe-builtV8 engine ever produced.
Maximum torque is an astonishing 774 lbs-ft, the highest ever developed by a
production V8 engine. Although performance figures are subject to final
confirmation as part of the on-going development programme, the new Bentley
coupe will deliver supercar levels of in-gear acceleration combined with Arnage
refinement.
2008 Bentley Brooklands
The Crewe-built V8 engine was
launched in 1959 in the Bentley S2 saloon and since then it has continually
evolved. The first V8 was very advanced for its time with an all-aluminium
construction, a five-bearing crankshaft and a well-supported camshaft, producing
nearly 200bhp and 400Nm of torque. The result was a light and supple powertrain
that produced maximum torque at low engine speeds, the hallmark of every Bentley
ever produced.
In 1969 Bentley increased its
capacity grow to 6.75 litres, where it remains to this day, but by far the most
significant change came in 1982, with the introduction of a turbocharger to
create the near-300bhp Mulsanne Turbo, a car that transformed the image of
Bentley. In 1999, the single turbo engine, by now featuring port injection and
charge cooling, was installed in Arnage, with twin turbos arriving in 2002,
developing up to 450bhp.
For the 2007 model Arnage, the
V8 engine saw a step-change in performance and refinement which became the
starting point for the new Bentley Brooklands. A re-profiled camshaft and new,
low-inertia turbochargers, which operate with greater efficiency at lower engine
speeds have resulted in reduced turbo lag, enhancing that prodigious wave of
torque at any revs, the hallmark of a true Bentley. These changes extend the
power potential of the V8 in the Arnage to 500bhp and 1000Nm of torque. For the
Bentley Brooklands, further component optimisation and engine calibration ensure
record power and torque levels from this hand-assembled engine.
2008 Bentley Brooklands
As with the latest Arnage, the
V8 engine is mated to a six-speed transmission with strengthened casing that
transforms the way in which both parts of the drive train communicate. A
sophisticated, locking torque converter and ESP system ensure that the driver
can readily access the prodigious power. A semi-automatic function allows manual
gear selection for even greater driver control.
The Bentley
Brooklands copes with the formidable power of its V8 engine thanks to a uniquely
engineered chassis, developed from the Bentley Arnage, and an impressively stiff body structure.
Strengthened steel in the A-pillars, door sills, rear-three quarter sections and
cant-rails provide the Brooklands’ body with exceptional torsional stiffness.
This contributes to the Brooklands’ sporting handling combined with superb
levels of ride comfort that are in keeping with the large Bentley coupe
tradition. Peter Guest, Head of Department, Body and Trim, elaborates.
“Brooklands’ stiff platform
provides a stable foundation for the sophisticated double wishbone suspension
developed from the dynamic Arnage T.”
The independent, front and rear,
double-wishbone suspension employs coil springs, computer-controlled adaptive,
electro-hydraulic dampers and automatic ride height control with auto load
compensation. Together, these deliver impressive body control during cornering,
braking and acceleration. The fitment as standard of 8.5Jx20-inch wheels and
255/40 ZR20 Pirelli P Zero tyres, specially developed for Brooklands, also aids
handling and roadholding.
2008 Bentley Brooklands
The very strong body also allows
Brooklands to run with lower spring rates than the Arnage T, thereby achieving a
level of ride comfort similar to that of the Arnage R. The body-hugging,
lower-slung Azure-derived front seats provide a more sporting driving position,
enhancing the sporting appeal of Brooklands, compared with its Arnage and Azure
stablemates.
As an option, Brooklands may be
specified with new carbon/silicon carbide, cross-drilled brake discs, further
extending the new coupe’s performance boundaries. Introduced on the limited
edition Continental GT Diamond Series in 2006, the system features the largest
diameter brake discs of any production passenger car on sale today. Measuring
420 x 40mm at the front and 356 x 28mm at the rear, with eight-piston callipers,
the new brakes give an 8 kg reduction in rotating unsprung mass benefiting
steering response, ride suppleness and acceleration.
The lightweight braking system
ensures virtually fade-free use, time after time, and superb resistance to disc
distortion under high thermal conditions. Under normal driving conditions the
brake discs will last the lifetime of the car. Furthermore, brake pad life is
doubled compared with the standard braking system.
2008 Bentley Brooklands
Performance figures capture
supercar performance from a luxury four-seater coupé. The Bentley Brooklands is
capable of reaching 60mph in just 5.0 seconds (0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds), has a
top speed of 184mph (296km/h) and with an enhanced chassis and optional carbon
carbide brakes, provides the handling to match the awesome power.
2008 Bentley Brooklands
- Supercar performance from luxury four-seater coupe:
- 0-60mph in 5.0 seconds (0-100km/h in 5.3s).
- Top speed of 184 mph (296km/h).
- 50 to 70mph in just 2.4 seconds (80-120km/h in 3.1s).
- Record power output of 530bhp and 1050Nm of torque from handbuilt 6 ¾-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, including:
- New free-flowing air induction system and sports exhaust.
- Recalibrated valve timing and engine management systems
- Dynamic handling combined with superb ride comfort:
- Very stiff platform and uniquely engineered chassis with specially developed 20-inch wheels and tyres as standard, that combine Arnage T handling with Arnage R comfort.
- • Optional carbon/silicon carbide brakes:
- The largest diameter discs of any production passenger car on sale today.
- Discs last the lifetime of the car and pad life is doubled, under normal driving conditions.
- Virtually fade-free use time after time.
- Most spacious rear cabin of any coupe in the world.
- Bentley is the only manufacturer to offer as standard a cabin trimmed entirely with leather hides.
- Full order book for first year, with lifetime production limited to just 550 cars.
