Bentley

While visionary W. O. Bentley is the namesake of the royal British motor company, Woolf Barnato is perhaps as essential to the automaker’s legacy as the legendary W.O. With a penchant for speed, the 24-hours Lemans winner and fellow Bentley Boy Barnato came into the picture in 1925. W.O.’s company was struggling with costly engineering investments. Heir to a diamond mine, Barnato became chairman of the company, extending the era of the British gentleman’s racer culture, and established the model for taking a high-end company through a tough era. The company flourished for a period under his investment.

Member of the Board Stuart McCullough, in charge of sales and marketing for Bentley, drew comparisons from then- and -now at the charming Hotel Fauchere in Milford, Pennsylvania where a group of media converged, after driving 100 miles in the 2010 Bentley Supersports to the launch destination.

The Hotel Fauchere is operated by two New York transplants who have rebuilt the cozy inn to accommodate 16 guests. Here is a period mansion that feels like a quaint Northeastern town should. The owners proudly explained that Milford, Pennsylvania has racing roots, and is where the term “souped-up” was invented among modifiers before Henry Ford happened upon it.

In this setting, Bentley demonstrated the astute powers of it’s latest high-speed refinements to the Continental GTC family. Essentially, Bentley has created the mold for effectively drawing upon priceless bits of aa rich heritage to make the transition to a thriving modern era. Gone are the ill-fitting years from the overview, when Bentley was under Rolls-Royce leadership. In the game of heritage making, Bentley is all early 20th century. In fact, ailing automakers of the modern day may learn a thing or two from the philosophy of Bentley, focusing in on the coach building formula, setting a high standard for production models from it’s legacy and then applying the best in modern engineering sophistication.

Christophe Georges, president and COO of North America, explained that Bentley is more keen on long-term growth and maintaining quality – a must at the price point for it’s vehicle. “No compromise” was the mandate for quality and new Bentley directive toward greenery. So instead of going big, Bentley went fast.

“A great many of the Bentley boys expired in the spirit of racing,” McCullough explained in his introduction of the 2010 Bentley Supersport – the leanest, meanest Bentley ever built, again playing upon Bentley’s motor sports pedigree. Accordingly, on the exterior, the Supersports is familiar, but on the inside, it’s an entirely new Bentley experience. With the Supersport, Bentley has stumbled back into race car land for the rich and famous.

Taking a superior W-12 engine and making it green and faster is no small mandate, particularly when the interior still needs to breathe with luxurious finish.

The greening of the Supersports started with basic engineering. Bentley opted to take the ethanol route for the Supersports – one part of the solution to trimming down emissions. The engineers set about the tax of converting a hefty six-liter twin turbo to bioethanol. The engine was structurally modified to accommodate E-85 and gasoline in a fuel-quality sensor.

Bentley executives explained that the company is following Brazilian paradigm for ethanol usage, where ethanol is remarkably sucessful. The company is growing its ethanol business model, focusing on such avenues as incorporating sustainable feed stock to improve on carbon dioxide efficiency. This investigation includes a future of harvesting waste materials for power generation and wastewater for power generation.

Bentley’s efforts stem from collaborative research that automakers are engaged in with fuel manufacturers, including companies like BP. Each corporation is basically working toward the same goal — making cars with less emissions and don’t impose other environmental hazards. Bentley is also developing electric vehicles and hybrid programs, claiming multiple solutions in the green game.

Also adding to improved fuel economy improvements in the Supersports is the simple act of cutting down on weight — 243 pounds were shaved off the 6000 pound frame. Weight was removed from interior seats by cutting four down to two and making them racer style, and by adding carbon brakes in lieu of brawny cast iron. Modifications allowed for further weight reduction in thinner wheels.

The execution of this task is remarkable – what’s resulted is a calm, composed and quiet, yet wicked fast Bentley capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds, and boasting a top speed over 200 mph.

Bentley’s emphasis is always on making a supreme car, and the blueprint is found in impressive unique parts such as the world’s largest ceramic brakes patented by the British automaker. This commitment to splendor and thoughtful construction is evident in details on the interior, including a carbon fiber bar that stops luggage from lunging forward.

With Bentley’s rich legacy, there’s always another story to tell in the history logs. Back to Barnato: the Bentley savior also gets high marks for passing on his gene for savoir faire – his daughter Diana Barnato joined the Brookland Flying Club outside of the race track, and helmed Spitfires, Hurricanes and Wellingtons with the Air Transport Auxiliary during World War II. The Bentley Boys legacy is indeed passed on in fascinating ways.

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Bentley is almost as old as my grandfather

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