NEW BENTLEY FLIES

A Bentley flying through the air was the sight that stunned rush hour traffic jams in Munich one snowy morning in February.  This was one stage in a rolling - or here, flying – programme of launching Bentley’s latest  V8 model.

This supercar, hot from its Crewe birthplace, takes Bentley to new heights of luxury and development in the sports car sector, and though not yet capable of its own flight motivation, it can do pretty much everything else and more that anyone might wish for in a luxury motor.

It had lift off courtesy of a helicopter, and flew above the traffic jams to land serenely on the roof of the city’s SkyLounge.

“A dramatic car got the debut we felt it deserved,” said general manager of Bentley Munich, Klaus Becker, “and we took a little bit of our inspiration from Bentley’s iconic ‘Winged B’ emblem.”

Its launch tour started at the mighty Auto Show in Detroit at the beginning of the year. An evening party at Jack Barclay’s showroom in Berkeley Square followed, just before its German flight. And another event at Marques De Riscal in Spain gave a privileged few media guests the opportunity to test drive this sleek beauty.

The 4.0 litre, twin turbocharged V8 is available in two models, the continental coupe and the GTC convertible. They fulfil Bentley’s environmental commitment to deliver a 40 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions. Other advancements include direct injection, variable displacement and new close-ratio 8-speed transmission. Both models feature a state-of-the-art, all-wheel drive system. For full technical data, go to www.bentley.com

Affirming that top quality continues to sell, whatever the economic climate, Bentley reports that global sales to the end of October last year increased by 33per cent on the previous year. The Chinese are particularly keen on this motor, with sales up by nearly 90 per cent, but every major market saw growth.

It’s a great symbol of British craftsmanship married with the latest high tech developments. And who knows – before long, those wizards at the Crewe plant may yet give it its own aeronautical lift-off.