New Bentley Is Fastest & Cleanest Ever - Utilizes "Green" Technology

[annomo]

from Wired.com



Bentley is teasing us with a lone picture of the biofuel burner it promises will be the fastest, most powerful and cleanest car the company has ever built.



The biofuel Bentley the crew from Crewe will unveil at the Geneva Motor Show in March marks the first big step toward the automaker's goal of getting the average CO2 emissions of its entire fleet to a Toyota Yaris-like 120 grams per kilometer, and it should have gearheads rejoicing at the prospect that going green doesn't mean going serene.



Bentley isn't saying much about the car — the press release was literally 54 words — dubbed the "extreme Bentley," but considering the Speed versions of the Continental coupe and sedan produce 600 horsepower, we're eager to see what Bentley's cooked up this time.



We do know the new model will ride on the D1 platform underpinning the Continental GT and Continental Flying Spur. Look for one of the ginormous 6-liter twin-turbo 12-cylinder engines used across the Continental range. Bentley isn't saying how much CO2
the car will emit, but anything would be an improvement on the nearly 400 g/km the 2008 Continental coupe and sedan spit out.



As much as we'd like to see a diesel under the hood — we love the idea of running used veggie oil in a Bentley — it's almost certainly gonna be a flex-fuel car running on gasoline, ethanol or a
combination of the two. Buyers in North American and Asia,
Bentley’s most important markets, don’t want to hear any clatter under the hood, and Bentley probably figures that if biofuel is good enough for the queen of England, it's good enough for more plebeian types.



Based on the heavily shadowed teaser photo Bentley provided, it's impossible to say whether the extreme Bentley will be a four-door sedan based on the Continental Flying Spur or a two-door coupe based on the Continental GT. We'd like to see flex-fuel versions of both because the more the merrier. Obvious design departures from the Bentleys currently in showrooms include those big vertical intakes at either end of the fascia and the vents on the hood. The black mesh lends a menacing touch.



If you're interested, here's Bentley's press release:



On March 3rd at the 2009 International Geneva Motor Show, Bentley will reveal its fastest, most powerful production car ever. Delivering supercar performance, this new model is very much the extreme Bentley.
Importantly it will run on biofuel, delivering stage one of Bentley's
environmental commitment and pioneering the use of this fuel in the
luxury sector.

[loopy2311]

I want one

[bingo]

I will buy one......in about 50 years or so. Maybe not even then cos it will be a classic. Damn!

[DethPhunk]

Looks like the Continental GT but performance sounds pretty buffed up.

[MurrayH]

Great, Great car!

Too bad the article is a pretext to spreading CO2/Global Warming disinformation.

CO2 is our friend. Without CO2, there would be no life on Earth


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[corocoro]

	Quote:			Originally Posted by MurrayH
	Great, Great car! Too bad the article is a pretext to spreading CO2/Global Warming disinformation. CO2 is our friend. Without CO2, there would be no life on Earth [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

You cannot live without salt. Now go and eat a pound or two of it to see the flaw in your argumentation.
(For those that are not so fortunate to get spammed with trivia by JJJ - that will kill you).

And if you look at all those pro CO² groups you find one common trait, well actually two:
1. They always make claims about surveys and statistics without linking back to them, making it nearly impossible to verify their data.
2. If they link back to something scientific the sponsor of that was always a group that is going to lose from CO² emission cuts. Sorry, but if a large multi-national oil company says that what it does is not harmful I tend to be a bit distrustful.

[racktie]

MurrayH, cool statement, you´re absolutely right, man. I claim a Bentley for everybody! Especially in China and India. World will will become a hot, stormy and wet place. There will be more war for oil, more terror, more action all over the place. Sounds good, eh?

[MurrayH]

Well guys, my post intended to be a lighthearted jab about the current obsession with CO2, but obviously I missed the mark.

When we see CO2 mentionned in an article about a Bentley, it's a sign that a tipping point has occurred, as Al Gore would say.

Is there anyone who thinks that Bentley owners give a fuck about CO2 emissions?

[M_nus]

Another flex-fuel car? Ugh...I really don't think that whole movement helps the environment at all. Running on ethanol has actually been to show more damage in the long-term than fossil fuels, not to mention the effects on our land, food stock, and water.

Diesel sounds like a much better idea. Used cooking oil would probably be the best option, but unfortunately, it would be really inconvenient to create some sort of distribution system to fuel so many cars. The demand might even overtake the supply.