A Brief Guide of Bentley Motors, Past and Present

Bentley Motors in Crewe, England has a lengthy history of both the manufacturing and the racing of luxury cars. The company was founded in 1919 by its Walter Bentley, known previously for his range of military aero-engines, in particular the engine for the Sopwith Camel.

It was from here Walter Bentley found that his use of aluminium in the construction of his aero-engines and components both gave better performance and durability, let alone many options for casting and machining. As at this period in history many manufacturers were still replying heavily on cast steel components, thus making them heavy, prone to overheating and less durable.

So with this new type of engine, Walter Bentley applied it to the first cars and in 1921 the first Bentley the BR1 came off the production line. A year later Bentley cars were seen at numerous races and hill-climbs around the UK and even entered into the American Indianapolis 500 endurance race. But it was two years later in 1924 when Bentley was finally put on the map with a coveted win at the Le Mans 24 Hour race in France. To top this Bentley cars went on to win no less than four consecutive race wins from 1927 to 1930.

After the 1929 Wall Street Crash in the USA, Bentley car sales severely slumped world-wide. The problem became so severe the company was sold to the Rolls Royce Corporation in 1931. Fast forwarding to the present-day, the Bentley marque which has been owned by the German car manufacturer Volkswagen AG since 1998 is proving to be now as popular as ever. Even with the current global uncertainty the Bentley brand is enjoying a re-surge in sales in many emerging markets around the world, like India, Qatar and China.

Bentley has gone through much transformation in the last 10 years with its new owners, the cars are still hand-made and hand-finished in the same factory in Crewe, plus they are still produced with such high standard and attention to detail.

The new 2012 Bentley Continental GTC has just been launched just over a month ago and features an all new lighter body and chassis, with a slightly more powerful engine which will also run on bio-ethanol fuels. The car has received much critical acclaim and all important new orders.

Other new forthcoming developments are the option of diesel engines across the range of vehicles. The diesel engines expected to be used are the V8 TDi and V12 TDi powerful and economical engines, which have been developed by the Volkswagen group.

Gregory Greene is writing on behalf of Bramleys in Surrey, the best choice for a Bentley Specialist or when choosing a garage as a Mercedes Specialist Surrey for your next luxury sports car.

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The Top Three Best Bentleys Ever Made, a Brief Guide

With its impeccable styling and beautiful interiors crafted from the finest materials of the earth, Bentley are in a league of their own. They are considered to be the ultimate driving machine, each vehicle oozing class and prestige. Over the years they have pushed the boundaries of luxury, with models complete with telephones, televisions and even a fridge to keep that bottle of expensive champagne crisp and cold. Here is a list of some of the greatest vehicles the company has graced the earth with.

The Bentley Speed Six

First rolling off the production line in 1926, the company took the original 6½ litre model and gave it a bit more firepower. This supercharged version became the Bentley's most successful racing ever, driven by legendary driver Woolf Barnato dominating nearly all the podium spots at the 24 hour Le Mans race in 1929 and 1930. In March of 1930, the car was also tested in a more challenging scenario. While at dinner in Cannes, Barnato bet £100 that his speed six could get to his London club before the famous blue train could reach Calais. The car kept up its part of the bargain, reaching the finish line just four minutes before the train got to the French Port. Barnato collected his winnings; however the fines he received for illegally racing on French roads were substantially more than £100.

Continental Supersports

The Continental was first conceived back in 1952 and targeted towards the domestic home market. It had the same engine capacity as the original R-Type, just with an increased gear ratio and modified exhaust manifolds and induction.

Times have significantly shifted since then, with the modern model becoming a symbol of wealth and prestige. In 2009, the Bentley Continental Supersports was unveiled at the Geneva Motor show. It was a revolutionary concept, being able to run on both petrol and bio-fuel. Its 6.0 litre threw out a whopping 621bhp and could reach a top speed of 204mph.All this came at quite a price, starting from a staggering £163,000.

Bentley Mulsanne

The name of this model lies deep in the history of Bentley's successes in racing, with 'the Mulsanne Straight' being the section of the Le Mans circuit where cars could reach their highest speeds. In 1982, the model was born, promising to combine impeccable performance with unimaginable comfort, the ultimate driving machine. The original model had a 6750cc V8 engine and all features just a 3 speed transmission.

The model equivalent is deemed among the most lavish and luxurious vehicles on the market, an experience in it self just to sit inside one. Owners don't tend to drive it themselves; they more commonly have a chauffeur. This gives the opportunity to sit back and enjoy the journey. The Mulsanne has been given a revamp for 2012, with the cabin featuring 17 different leathers, a flip down television, I-pads, privacy glass and even an executive telephone.

Gregory Greene is writing on behalf of Bramleys in Surrey, the best choice for a Bentley Dealer Surrey or when choosing a Bentley Dealer for buying your next prestigious or luxury motor car.

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A Brief History of the Classic Porsche 911

The Porsche 911 has always been up there with the best when it comes to ferociously fast, 2-door sports coupe. Over the years while the exquisite styling has remained, the engine and interior have adapted and transformed into the digital age. Here is a quick look at how the car has become such a success.

The first 911 was built back in 1963, it was aimed to be more powerful, bigger and more comfortable than the Porsche 356. The layout was revolutionary, with a new air-cooled engine in the back instead of the front of the car. Three years later saw the introduction of the "911S". The engines power was booted from 128bhp to 160bhp, together with adding a rear spoiler for extra grip. This was also the first model where the infamous 5 spoke alloy wheels were made available, a design that would become a symbol of the 911 legacy. The 911ST was produced for racing, with a 2.4 litre engine producing 8000rpm. These vehicles exploded out of the blocks, and experienced success at the Daytona 6 hours, the Sebring 12 hours and the 1000km Nürburgring races.

As Porsche tweaked the car with modifications and changes, many other models were born along the way. The most significant of these were the Carrera RS (racing sport), considered to be the greatest collector's item of all the 911 fleet. Born in 1973, the model was more an even more explosive version of the 911S, governed by its larger 2.7 litre engine that developed 210bhp. A revamped stronger spoiler was fitted, along with larger brakes and larger wheels.

1974 saw the introduction of the 911 turbo. The original models did have their problems, while it had incredible acceleration, the company needed to quickly address the difficult handling and severe turbo lag. The turbo legacy lasted for 15 years, with the last being solitary model to acquire an impressive five-speed gearbox.

As the original script was changed one final time in 1983 when the 3.2 Carrera was launched. The most powerful model could do the 0-60 test in 5.7 seconds with top out at a speed of 150 mph. this was down to the new 3.2 engine featuring higher domed pistons to significantly increase the engine ratio.

The success of the classic 911 was marked with two special models, the 'Commemorative Edition' model in 1988 and the Anniversary Edition; marking the production of 250,000 Porsche 911 and the models' 25th birthday respectively.

Gregory Greene is writing on behalf of Bramleys in Surrey, the best choice for a Porsche Dealer or when choosing a Porsche Specialist for buying your next prestigious or luxury motor car.

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Ferrari Cars and Some of Their Famous Owners, A Brief Guide

Ferrari luxury sports cars have always had a special affinity with the association of not only the racing world and upper echelons of the Formula One Grand Prix, but also a popular choice for the rich and famous.

A Ferrari parked outside an expensive boutique or a café in Monaco wouldn't ever "look out of place", would it? This is probably due to the fact that Ferrari sports cars have always had a reassuringly rather large price tag to go with their image of wealth for its owner.

With this in mind, the cars that belong to celebrities, Hollywood actors and famous people have always attracted even more attention than their less famously owned counter parts. So when some of these famously owned cars end up at a classic car auction or are announced that they will be sold, a media frenzy starts and so does a bidding war for the top price.

In a recent classic car auction at the Silverstone, a rare 2003 "Ferrari 575 Maranello" with only 10,000 miles on the odometer was eventually sold for £66,000 and was purchased by an unknown private buyer. What was unique about this car was its special provenance from its famous previous owners.

The fact this Ferrari was not just rare, but its previous owners included; the legendary guitar hero "Eric Clapton" and the BBC Radio and TV presenter Chris Evans, who are both huge Ferrari fans in their own right.

Chris Evans has been in and out of the motoring world press for the last few years, with his growing collection of Ferrari's, which now includes seven in the line-up. But his latest acquisition is the one that's got everyone talking. It's a very rare 1960 Ferrari 250 California Spyder, that cost over £5 million at auction. What makes this classic car even more special is that its only number 13 of only 56 cars ever produced of this model, but it was formally owned by the late (great) film actor James Coburn, who was a massive Ferrari fan.

James Coburn got his love of cars from his father and was reputed to have turned the automotive-fanatic actor Steve McQueen onto Ferrari sports cars back in the early sixties.

Other celebrities and star's who share a love for Ferrari sports cars are most notably Jay Kay from the band Jamiroquai who has had a number of Ferrari's including; a Ferrari F40, a 360 Spider, Ferrari Enzo, Ferrari 456GT. Veteran rock singer Rod Stewart also owns a Ferrari F40, a 360 Spider and now new Murcielago.

Star of film and TV, Joanna Lumley has a classic Ferrari 328 GTS Targa, where as lead guitarist of the Who rock band also has a passion for Ferrari's, as Pete Townshend currently owns a Ferrari 550 Maranello.

Gregory Greene is writing on behalf of Bramleys in Surrey, the best choice for a Ferrari Dealer or when choosing a Classic Car Dealers for purchasing your next prestigious or luxury motor car.

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Porsche Car's Most Wanted, a Brief Guide to The Air Cooled Models

The Porsche sports car company has come along way since its early beginnings, the company was founded as Dr. Ferdinand Porsche in 1931 who was an Austrian engineer born in "Maffersdorf", at the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Porsche GmbH initially offered motor vehicle development work and consultancy for the then German Government and the first major project was to develop a car for the people, this was later called the Volkswagen Käfer (or VW Beetle as it became known to the English). It wasn't until 1939 that Dr. Ferdinand Porsche developed the first car the bore his name, the "Porsche 64", it was developed using many components from the Beetle. The first road certified Porsche that was available to the public to buy was the Porsche 356; it went on general sale in 1948.

The Porsche 356 is still an iconic sports car, and in with today's prices, commands a very high price if you can find an original early example or a rare Porsche 356 "Carrera" model, as these are always in demand by serious car collectors or Porsche fan's who want to drive some motoring history. As back in 1951, the little known Porsche 356 SL took a class victory at the Le Mans 24 Hour Race, which placed it firmly on the sports car map.

Next on the Porsche most wanted list would have to be the Porsche 550 Spyder, which was a roof-less out-and-out light weight developed race car, in 1956 the 550 Spyder took its first overall victory, at the Targa Florio, Italy. The 550 Spyder was immortalised with a one of its most famous owners and movie legend James Dean, who died behind the wheel of his 550 Spyder in a road traffic accident.

The 911 was first debuted in 1964 and went into production. This was another air-cooled, rear-engined sports car, this time sporting a flat six-cylinder "boxer" style engine. Because of the successes of both the 356 and the 550 Spyder, the Porsche 911 attracted immediate attention from around the world and today is what typifies the Porsche name and brand. In a recent international poll for the award of "Car of the Century", the 911 came fifth, so it just shows the car's popularity.

Also from the 911 stable is the Porsche 911 RS Carrera which was first produced in 1973 this was the Porsche to own on the 70's and was handed down technology and many parts from the factory Porsche Race Team, which was due to their many racing victories around the world. The 911 body styling influence can still be seen in most of the current Porsche water-cooled models.

Gregory Greene is writing on behalf of Romans International, the best choice for a Porsche Dealership Surrey or when choosing a Pre owned Porsche for your next luxury sports car.

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