Bentley wows Goodwood

Bentley enjoyed its largest-ever presence at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed as the marque showed cars from its past, present, and future to more than 1,85,000 attendees during the four-day festival.

Bentley’s new performance flagship, the 616 bhp, twin-turbo W12-engined Continental GT Speed coupe, made its international debut and proved itself worthy of its fastest ever production Bentley title with four-time World Rally champion, Juha Kankkunen, demonstrating its breath-taking performance on the Hill. Meanwhile, five-time Le Mans winner, Derek Bell, showcased the sporty, dynamic character of the new high-performance, high-efficiency 500bhp, twin-turbo Continental GT V8 coupe.

Returning to the cockpit of the Bentley Speed 8 race car, Guy Smith re-lived the pace that saw Bentley victorious in the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans. All three drivers were crowd favorites.

Alongside its Continental stable mates on the Bentley stand was the new Mulsanne Mulliner Driving Specification (MDS), the driver-focused edition of the Bentley flagship, reaffirming its sporting credentials. Also drawing the crowds was the Bentley EXP 9 F SUV Concept. Making its UK debut, it provided a compelling new take on the Grand Touring Bentley. Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley Motors, Wolfgang Dürheimer, thundered up the hill in the 1929 Bentley Blower Team Car. Dürheimer said, “The atmosphere at Goodwood is unrivalled with the allure of motoring in its many forms uniting car enthusiasts, customers and racing heroes alike. The interest in our cars and our Bentley Boys both on the Bentley stand, in the Paddock and racing up the Hill was incredible. With the exhibition of new models and show cars next to the hill climb event, it is the most entertaining car show I know.”

Expect the new models to be soon in India zipping on the streets as India gets ready to take on the bigwigs.