BENTLEY AWARDED BEST OF BRITISH INDUSTRY AWARD

Bentley has been awarded for its excellence in manufacturing after receiving a UK Industrial Excellence Award from a panel of Europe’s leading academic institutions, including the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, INSEAD and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management.

Judges visited Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe for an assessment and highlighted the ability of Bentley to combine the traditional, labour intensive craftsmanship with efficiencies in production. Also praised was the success of the organisation in creating a customer focus and a continuous improvement culture and the resulting improvements in revenue growth, profit and productivity.

Commenting on the recognition, Michael Straughan, Bentley’s Member of the Board for Manufacturing, said:

“This is an award for our workforce, who have all worked so hard over recent years to ensure Bentley remains at the forefront of UK manufacturing. It comes at a key time for us, as we expand our model line-up with the introduction of the Bentley Bentayga. This is a new challenge for us but one we will deliver with the same level of commitment, passion and engineering and manufacturing expertise that goes into every Bentley.”

The Industrial Excellence Award competition benchmarks European competitiveness in the industrial and service sector. It focuses on strategy development, management quality, strategy formulation, supply chain management, service management, new products and services and process technology development.

Winning the UK award means Bentley will compete with other European nations for the crown of European Industrial Excellence Award Champion, which will be announced in September.
Bentley is in a sustained period of growth, following the company’s record year in 2014, with more cars delivered than ever before. An investment programme reaching £840 million over three years to 2016 will see the company’s headquarter footprint expanded and investment in new models. Bentley has also created over 1,000 jobs in the past two years, including its highest apprentice intake in 25 years.

DRIVING THE BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT3-R

 

JULY 01, 2015

While Bentley’s modern image is entangled with images of opulence, hallmarks of the brand’s early days include equal doses of racing grit and go-fast hardware. Decades after the notorious Bentley Boys swept four consecutive wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the late 1920s, the brand returned to victory at the famed race in 2003, proving once again that luxury and speed need not be mutually exclusive.

Video: http://bcove.me/cqta7we8


Channeling its racing history—which was rebooted in 2014 when the brand reentered GT3 endurance racing—the British carmaker has spun off a competition-inspired road car dubbed the Bentley Continental GT3-R. Differentiating itself from the standard Continental GT V8 S, the GT3-R generates 592 hp (71 more than the base model), has a shorter drive ratio and more aggressive transmission tuning for quicker acceleration, employs a torque vectoring rear axle to reduce understeer, and is equipped with carbon ceramic brakes for maximum deceleration. Notably, the GT3-R also enjoys a significant weight reduction of 220 pounds, thanks in part to its copious helpings of carbon fiber and the removal of its rear seats. Along with diamond-quilted Alcantara surfaces and discreet dispensations of acid-green trim, the interior assumes a greater sense of gravitas and purpose.

The real test of any racecar is its performance in its native habitat, and our time spent lapping Anglesey Circuit in Wales, UK, revealed the GT3-R’s surprising ability to hustle its 4,839-pound weight with relative aplomb. Acceleration is remarkably swift—in fact, this is the quickest Continental GT to date—and the brakes allow for shockingly short stopping distances, especially considering the sheer mass of the GT3-R. While direction changes do not occur with as much ease as markedly more lightweight cars (such as the Porsche 911 or the Ferrari 458 Italia), the Bentley acquits itself with high levels of adhesion, swift rates of acceleration, and surprisingly drama-free composure.

While the Continental GT3-R signals a refreshing exploration of the brand’s racing history, it also begs some intriguing questions: Will Bentley explore this theme further in future models that offer lighter weight, edgier handling, and more explosive performance? Enthusiasts await the answer with bated breath. (bentleymotors.com)

BENTLEY REVEALS JET-INSPIRED BREITLING CONTINENTAL GT SPEED

• Partnership with Breitling Jet Team
• Production limited to seven cars
• Each corresponds to an individual jet

Bentley has announced the production of seven limited-edition Continentals customised by the firm's Mulliner personalisation division. Officially named the Bentley Continental GT Speed Breitling Jet Team Series limited edition (quite a mouthful), their inspiration was taken from the watchmaker-sponsored jet display team, set to embark on a tour of North America and Canada in July 2015.

Whilst the cars' technical specification remains unchanged, the Continental GT Speed gets an extreme makeover, both inside and out.

Extreme customisation meets immense speed

Bentley's Mulliner division is renowned for pushing the boundaries of design (and taste), and the Jet Series is no exception. The handcrafted models feature a two-tone look, with the cars' subdued blue and onyx scheme coupled with a colour match to the Breitling L-39 Albatros jets' distinctive yellow highlights.

 

Simply numbering the vehicles wasn’t enough for Mulliner. Each car corresponds to one of the seven Breitling jets. Mulliner has designed graphics for the carbonfibre fascia panel displaying the jet team in formation and the corresponding jet to their own car in yellow (see below).
To go that extra mile, Bentley has announced that the owners will be handed over the keys from the corresponding jet’s pilot personally at the Boeing Seafair Airshow in Seattle on 31 July 2015, where the cars will make their public debut.

Pass the bucket

What Bentley has also pledged is before the owners are given the keys to their limited edition Continental, they have to experience a flight in their corresponding jet. Things could get messy.