BOSTON — Bentley Motors released a teaser video and image of a new flagship sedan it plans to unveil later summer, possibly at Pebble Beach in August. Known unofficially as the "Grand Bentley," the car will be "positioned at the very pinnacle of the market — representing the height of British luxury motoring," the company said.
Bentley declined to reveal any details about the new car, other than to say it is being designed and engineered and will be built in Crewe, England, at the company's headquarters.
That — and an oblique reference in the teaser video to other manufacturers' "copies of copies" — suggests that the new Grand Bentley may not share its underpinnings with other luxury products within the Volkswagen Group, as the Bentley Continental range now does.
A reference in the official Bentley press statement to "the 50th anniversary of our company's iconic V8 engine" also raises questions about the powertrain in the Grand Bentley, specifically, whether it will be a version of the current VW-based 12-cylinder or an all-new V8 with some sort of forced induction system to boost output.
There is no word on pricing, other than the suggestion that the new model will be priced well above the Continental Flying Spur, whose price range runs up to $200,000. Bentley's current flagship model, the Arnage, was carried over from former parent Rolls-Royce, and is priced up to $268,000. In comparison, the Rolls-Royce Phantom is priced at $400,000.
Bentley said the last 150 units of the Arnage are being produced in Crewe, and will be marketed as the Arnage Final Series. European press reports are speculating that the Grand Bentley may not reach production until mid-2010.
Inside Line says: A company spokesman says the new flagship sedan "will be the purest expression of the Bentley spirit." — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
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