The Pinacle of British Motoring: All New Bentley Mulsanne Revealed

A new Bentley doesn’t come very often but when it does, it’s worth paying attention to as the details and design are extraordinary. Take this new Bentley Mulsanne for example, it integrates the design of Bentley’s of yesterday and mixes it with a good chunk of today’s design and voila, a gorgeous new Bentley.

Talking about paying homage to Bentley’s of yesterday, the Mulsanne is named after the famous corner at the Le Mans circuit. It’s predecessor, the Arnage was named after a Le Mans corner as well. It is here Bentley underlines its racing pedigree and heritage with six victories at the legendary endurance race.

Speaking at the event, 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 Mulsanne is the first Bentley that has been designed, engineered and built from the ground up by Bentley engineers. The new car shares nothing in common with other Bentley or VW group models, even it’s platform is new and unique. Just for the record, since W.O Bentley’s 8-liter from 1930, no Bentley has been built in such a way. This is the first all new and unique Bentley in 79 years.

The classic Bentley 8-litre displayed alongside the Mulsanne in California was first shown at the 1930 London Motor Show. It was the second-built and was W.O. Bentley’s company car for two years. Capable of reaching more than 100 mph, the 8-litre demonstrated W.O. Bentley’s ambition and ability to build a grand luxury car capable of surpassing every other leading manufacturer of the day. A total of 100 cars were built in 1930 and 1931.

“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.”

Bentley is still withholding powertrain and specification details but reports suggest the Mulsanne is powered by a revised version of the Arnage’s L-Sereis 6.75-liter twin turbo V8 producing 500bhp and 1000Nm (!!) of torque. Emissions was also an issue, so the new engine has been re-engineered utilizing lighter components on the inside and outside as well as a revised fuel system possibly incorporating cylinder deactivation. The result? A fuel consumption reduction by 20% and is E85 bio-ethanol compatible.

Unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey, California, just this past weekend, the new 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.

Source: Bentley via WorldCarFans