The four-door Grand...
The four-door Grand Tourer blends Bentley tradition and craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. It is inspired by the Continental Flying Spur of the Fifties, and - just like the 2003 Continental GT - makes the most of the firm"s heritage. We exclusively revealed both machines in issue 695, back in early 2002. Based on the same chassis as its two-door stablemate, the Flying Spur offers a 6.0-litre turbocharged W12 engine, four-wheel drive and air-suspension.
The Swedish wizards...
The Swedish wizards have created a world-first wheel made from the super-lightweight material, and put a set on the awesome new CCX, unveiled this week at the Geneva Motor Show. The 245mph, ÷£400,000 newcomer replaces the firm"s CCR. Keeping the same basic styling as the CC 8S model, the CCX has a redesigned body that"s 88mm longer.
Power comes from a modified version of the car"s 806bhp 4.7-litre supercharged V8. Performance is no different - its 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds and 245mph top speed remain the same - but the CCX now meets Californian emissions regulations.
Meanwhile, carbon fibre has been incorporated into tyres for the first time. Goodyear is putting it into the sidewalls of a new range of rubber for executive saloons. The hi-tech Eagle tyre will be launched in May. "This lets our engineers develop a performance tyre with manners," said Goodyear"s Bob Toth.