Although undeniably good-looking and very fast, is the Aston Martin Rapide also spacious and luxurious enough to compete with the epitome of sumptuousness, a Bentley Flying Spur?
In 1950 Rolls-Royce’s Chief Projects Engineer, Ivan Evernden, had an idea for a two-seat Bentley sports car called the Blizzard. This year, that dream finally came true – and we’ve driven it.
The Continental nameplate is one that Bentley returned to time and again, yet the least-known variant is the most luxurious: the Bentley-badged convertibles built alongside the Rolls-Royce Corniche from 1985 to 1995.
The politics behind racing are sometimes more intriguing than the on-track action itself. When the VW Group acquired Bentley from Vickers in 1998, it immediately set about picking up the pieces of a brand that was by then reduced to a poor cousin of Rolls-Royce. This mission found further fervour through the painful reminder that not only had VW lost the bid for Rolls-Royce to BMW; but the latter would also win Le Mans the year thereafter.
Jonathan Gould tried other luxurious super-saloons and even a younger Bentley before finding what he was looking for – the Arnage Red Label. So what makes it so special?
Rolls-Royce owner and enthusiast John Waine has prized the best of British luxury since his youth. Today he’ll drive the model of his teenage dreams, the 1958 Bentley S-Series.
When Rolls-Royce collaborated with Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina for its new 1970s flagship, the Camargue was the distinctive but divisive outcome. Almost 50 years on, the car is still a contentious subject.
Ron Webster overcame adversity to win an apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce that became a 35-year career, then after retirement he achieved an equally unlikely dream – his own Bentley, despite being unable to hold a driving licence.
The idea of a sports limousine seems like an oxymoron, but a few minutes with a Bentley Flying Spur like this 2012 example shows that Bentley achieved something we’d once have thought impossible.
The 8-Litre ‘Dead Silent 100 mph car’ was W.O. Bentley’s masterpiece, in the view of many observers. Because they were made in tiny numbers, any encounter with an 8-litre is to be savoured, as our man in California, Steve Natale, discovered.
Opportunity knocked when a coachbuilder invented cantilevered sliding doors.We drive one of seven Bentley 4. Parallel-Door DHCs to test the novel system.
Cars can leave a profound impression on our childhood, and as car enthusiasts we can probably all think of one we wish our parents had never sold. David Watt did better than that – he bought it and brought it home.
