So why has the previously Rolls-Royce-owned luxury marque done so well while its two main rivals flounder? It's a no-brainer
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| Bentley has delivered a car equal to the best in the class when it comes to build quality and performance, and priced it at near half of what its previous Continental coupe sold for. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
really. Bentley has delivered a car equal to the best in the class when it comes to build quality and performance, and priced it at near half of what its previous Continental coupe sold for. How can they do it? It comes down to economies of scale. The Crewe-England outfit acquired the best components from its German parent, shared some top-tier architecture with Volkswagen's sensational Phaeton luxury sedan, and in the end created an all-new model that's more traditionally Bentley than anything it's built in decades. Say what? More traditional than an Arnage?! If you look way back into Bentley's past, the marque first started on the racetrack, winning at Le Mans no less than five times throughout the '20s and '30s with its fabulous Blower Bentleys and Speed Sixes. Needing to separate its more recent boulevardier Rolls-Royce-owned past from how the luxury marque's executive team sees the future of the winged-B badge, a duo of low-profile Bentley Speed 8 racecars pulled off a 1, 2 finish at the storied Le Mans, France track last year, the first number 7 car driven by Guy Smith followed closely by David Brabham in the number 8 car. It was an exciting event, in which Team Bentley Dindo
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| This all-new model is actually more traditionally Bentley than anything the brand has built in decades. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Capello and Guy Smith won maiden Le Mans victories and Tom Kristensen joined Derek Bell and Jacky Ickx as the only drivers to have won the grueling 24 hour race more than four times. Derek Bell was on hand in Seattle to usher in the new era of Bentley production cars, a charming Briton who truly seemed to enjoy whiling away the hours with what was little more than a sorry lot of wannabe racers - or maybe I should just speak for myself. Nevertheless, we picked his brain for hours, mostly about how challenging a 24 hour race can be, and he took the opportunity to entertain us with hilariously painful stories of muscle fatigue and his unique ability of staying awake and alert behind the wheel of a car.
