2009 Bentley Brooklands
By John Lamm & Photos by John Lamm
It's tough to get more "automotively English" than Bentley and Brooklands.
The former is, of course, the famous automaker while the latter is a historic-if-now-defunct high-speed race track near London. Put the two names together in 2008 and you have a new coupe that is the sum of 6.75, 530, 774, 3, 5.0 and 340,990.
How does it add up?
You begin with the chassis of the Bentley Azure convertible, already stiffened to be a luxury drop top. Add a steel coupe roof while retaining in all but one piece of the convertible structure, and you have a very rigid automobile.
Make certain that top matches the lower body, give it an air of luxury and style and add the name Brooklands.
Now here come the numbers. Take the rather traditional Bentley V-8, displacing 6.75 liters, add a pair of turbochargers and the appropriate internal changes needed, and you come away with 530 horsepower and 774 lb.-ft. of torque. The 3 is an approximate number, but represents the Brookland's weight in tons with driver and passenger. That 5.0 is the number of seconds to get the big Brooklands to 60 mph. You've probably guessed that $340,990 is the base price of the Brooklands coupe. With options and taxes you may be closer to $400,000.
It is a beautifully done machine, from its hand-finished body seams to the highly polished solid wood trim to the military straight stitching. Bentley says this is the most commodious coupe cabin in the world, and it feels like it when you're stretched out in back enjoying the countryside blur by.
With the exception of new uprights to allow for the optional ($30,000) carbon-ceramic brakes, the suspension pieces also carry over from the Azure, though tuned to sportier -- as in firmer and flatter -- performance.
It is a mighty thing to stomp the gas, feel the back end slew a bit as the power bites and rushes the great machine forward. Once the road starts winding, the Brooklands is surprisingly agile though it is somewhat light-steering. Mind you, as it edges right, then left down the road, you will never forget this is one big, heavy machine ... nothing cat like about it. But as a piece of traditional British automotive power, it is impressive.
Audi R8 TDI Le Mans
By Jim Hall & Photos by John Lamm
With 500 horsepower and over 737 lb.-ft. of torque, the Audi R8 TDI Le Mans certainly has the street cred to move right up into the upper echelon of the exotic sports car category inhabited by the likes of the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640. But this handsome German offering's powerplant sports an utterly unique twist over those Italian V-12-powered machines: It's a diesel.
Unique exterior (honeycomb-trimmed grille openings, carbon-fiber "sideblade" trim aft of the doors) and interior (aluminum trim, more carbon fiber) touches help further set this oil-burning edition apart from the road-going R8 coupe.
As this is a prototype vehicle, should the R8 TDI Le Mans go into production (it is likely to be built), it will most certainly sell for more than the current gas-burning, V-8-powered R8's base price of $109,000.
Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe
Matthias Pfannmuller & Photos by John Lamm
In 2007, Rolls-Royce sold 20 percent more cars than the year before. Since BMW took over one of the most traditional British brands in 1998, only Emily (the nickname of the Flying Lady that adorns the cars' grilles) remains. Today, Rolls-Royce resides in Goodwood, U.K., manufacturing its Phantom models. After this summer, this Phantom Coupe will be added to the model mix.
Based on the Drophead Coupe soft-top, and sharing most of its dimensions, the closed version comes with upgraded suspension and will therefore be the sportiest Rolls in the range. It also retains the Drophead's unique suicide-style doors. The engine and corresponding power remain the same, but its 453 bhp and 531 lb.-ft. of torque from the 6.75-liter V-12 should be more than adequate. It delivers power to the rear wheels via a 6-speed automatic transmission. Incidentally, the fuel capacity has been increased by 25 percent over the convertible version. The lower tailgate can be positioned to create a seating platform for two adults, called the "picnic boot."
The Phantom Coupe is a massive automobile in the grandest of tradition. Riding on a 130.7-in. wheelbase, the new coupe measures 220.8 in. in overall length and has 21-in. wheels. Priced at Euro 360,000 (the U.S. price has yet to be given), the Phantom Coupe is for the lucky few.
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