Seems like everybody and their cousin wants to design cars. But even with the right training, it can still be tough for an aspiring auto stylist to break into the field. Bentley, however, is giving a handful of transportation design students a crack at working in its design department.

The program is being held in conjunction with the graduate Vehicle Design Course at the Royal College of Art in London. Eighteen students spent the last few months under the tutelage of Crewe’s lead exterior designer Raul Pires, with the four top candidates – Marten Wallgren (Sweden), Mikka Heikkinen (Finland), David Seesing (Germany) and Bora Kim (South Korea) – shortlisted for further collaboration.

Each has penned a novel, futuristic take on the Bentley design ethos, and from among them one will be selected for a job in Bentley’s design studio. Click on the thumbnails below to view their designs, and follow the jump for details in the press release.

PRESS RELEASE

FUTURE INTERNATIONAL DESIGN STARS SHORTLISTED FOR BENTLEY EXPERIENCE

Royal College of Art students create exciting new concepts for iconic British manufacturer with state-of-the-art software

(Crewe, England. 1 February, 2010) Some of the world’s best young designers from London’s Royal College of Art (RCA) have created a series of remarkable ‘Bentleys of the Future’ designs in a unique partnership with the famous British company.

Eighteen Vehicle Design Course Masters students have spent the last few months studying the work of Bentley’s leading designers, including Head of Exterior Design Raul Pires who played a key role designing the company’s new Mulsanne flagship. Drawing on Bentley’s proud design heritage. they have sought to develop a range of striking and futuristic car designs.

Now four of the RCA students have been shortlisted to refine their designs with Pires and his colleagues with a winner and runner-up both being invited to join the Crewe-based company for a six month secondment in the Bentley design studio. Professor Dale Harrow, Head of Vehicle Design at the RCA explained:

“Working with Bentley has inspired these young designers to create a coupe for the 21st Century that embraces the latest aerodynamics technology. The Vehicle Design Course attracts postgraduate students from across the world and it has been fascinating to see them make a connection with a British marque that has such a distinguished heritage.”

A key part of the project has been the ability to combine strong visual design with the latest automotive software. Each car design has undergone extensive testing in a virtual wind tunnel to assess and enhance its aerodynamic capabilities. Professor Harrow added:

“We’ve had invaluable support from Exa and their PowerFLOW software which was used to create cars like the Bentley Continental Supersports. The students realise the importance of optimising the aerodynamic qualities of their designs and Exa’s technology allows each car to evolve constantly. Crucially, our young team has been working with top designers like Raul, learning how to combine great creativity with sound engineering solutions.”

Raul Pires said the overall standard was extremely high and this convinced Bentley to add an extra place to the shortlist. Pires said:

“The RCA has an eviable reputation for attracting some of the best young design talent, with many of their graduates going on to work for the world’s leading car manufacturers. The outstanding quality of work meant we have offered an extra place.

“These four finalists have captured the essence of our brand, recognising what makes a Bentley instantly recognisable on the road. Just as importantly, they’ve embraced Exa’s leading-edge technology and grasped that excellent design should always seek to enhance a car’s handling and performance, as well as optimising its environmental credentials.”

During the next few days the four designers will be working flat-out with their course tutors and EXA’s analysts to refine their work before meeting with Raul Pires and Bentley’s design chief Dirk van Braeckel for the final review.

The four Bentley/Exa finalists are Bora Kim, David Seesing, Marten Wallgren and Mikka Heikkinen. Bora (26) from South Korea has created a Bentley which enables the owner to easily select their preferred engine for any given journey whilst Sweden’s Marten (27) has created a futuristic version of the Bentley Continental GT.

David Seesing (26) from Cologne in Germany hopes to be the third generation of his family to work in the motor industry and has impressed Bentley with his ability to combine radical design with impressive aerodynamics.

Completing the line-up is Finland’s Mikka Heikkinen (26) who has created a high-performance Bentley and used his industrial design training to create a powerful, visually impactful concept vehicle.

Christine Gaskell, Member of the Board for Personnel at Bentley Motors, who has been following the project closely said:

“Bentley Motors has long-established apprentice and graduate schemes and we are always seeking to find new ways to encourage and support people who want to work in the motor industry. We look forward to welcoming some of the Royal College’s brightest and best to our design team later this year.”

[Source:Autoblog]

While the environmental merits of any 621 horsepower, twelve-cylinder behemoth that’s capable of traveling at speeds of up to 204 miles per hour are, at the very least, debatable, Bentley hasn’t exactly been shy about touting the green angle of its upcoming 2010 Continental Supersports.

Further straining the gorgeous coupe’s eco credibility is word from Green Car Advisor that U.S. laws and “engineering challenges” – including the fitment of hardened valve seats in Bentley’s W12 engine – mean that the first 200 Supersports imported to the United States won’t actually be flex-fuel capable.

Ah well, somehow we doubt that buyers willing to plonk down the $267,000 it takes to park a twin-turbocharged Continental Supersports in their driveway will be all that concerned with pumping ethanol in the tank.

[Souce:Autoblog]

No stranger to tuning supercars like the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, Hamann’s most recent addition to its parts catalog is the Bentley Continental GT and and GT Speed. There’s no word on what will exactly be available for the brawny two-seater, but judging from the photos it looks like pretty standard Hamann fare. A new body kit consists of a more aggressive front fascia, side skirts, rear wing, and a lower rear fascia that makes room for a new exhaust system with quad tips. Inside, carbon fiber replaces the carefully crafted wood trim. We’ll be sure to bring you more details and plenty of photos as soon as Hamann releases them.

[Source:Hamann]

Long known amongst car people around southern California for its fine dining, upscale boutiques and most importantly its twice-monthly collector car breakfast cruises, the Enderle Center in Tustin, California decided to do something a little different to celebrate its 30th Anniversary: host a Classic European Concours. For this inaugural event they even flew in Pininfarina designer Maurizio Corbi who answered questions and sketched dream cars for the crowd. When someone groaned after hearing Corbi was partly responsible for the new Ferrari California’s form, he quickly pointed out he did the front, which brought relieved laughter. Local collector Dick Marconi brought several cars from his nearby Marconi Automotive Museum, which supports the Marconi Foundation for Kids. Several of Dick’s artworks were also displayed in the center’s Chemers Gallery, but the cars were really all the art we needed to see.

Classics from the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s, along with sportscars from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s were arranged by country of origin and parked through the central parking lot alongside a pedestrian-friendly red carpet. Ferraris were featured and there was an incredible assortment on hand, everything from Cher’s Daytona Spyder to an extremely rare 195S, one of two in existence. The F50 wasn’t too bad either. Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and even Pegaso were also well-represented. It was a great first effort and a fun show, small and manageable with some breathtaking classics, all with great stories behind them.

When our camera started acting up we spotted our pals from Speed and Motion, who graciously agreed to let us use their images for our gallery. Click and enjoy, and be sure to check out the Speed and Motion site for a greater selection of photos and videos from this show, as well as dozens of HD clips from other local events.

[Source:Autoblog]

If you’ve got it, flaunt it. The super high-end automotive market has been counting on that attitude for years, and it may now be coming back to bite them. It seems that sales of luxury marques such as Bentley, Maybach and Aston Martin have been on a downward trajectory over the last year. Despite the fact that there are a number of people who still have plenty of dough to purchase these expensive toys, public perception is causing some of them to hold back and keep those fat wallets in their pockets.

To combat the problem, some high-end brands are choosing to aim even higher. If ex-customers with a net-worth of less than $5 million find it socially unacceptable to make a purchase, Bentley has said it will begin marketing to those with at least a net worth of $25 million. Let us add that we’ve driven a few Bentleys and Rollers and can say with certainty that they are definitely conspicuous in a sea of CamCords and Mustangs.

[Source:Autoblog]

In case the Grey Goose edition Rolls-Royce Phantom wasn’t your poison, champagne label Veuve Clicquot, the same French vineyard that teamed up with Porsche Design for that unique refrigerator, has crafted this one-of-a-kind 1966 Bentley S3.

The S3 model was produced between 1962 and 1965, and was differentiated from the S2 largely by its distinct four-headlamp nose. The Veuve Clicquot edition, meanwhile, has a distinctive yellow and black paintjob and remains largely stock and true to the original… save for the addition of a satellite navigation system. The car belongs to Edouard de Nazelle, a descendant of one of the vineyard’s founders, and apart from serving as an elegant transport for its noble owner, it doubles as a promotional tool for the company’s carbonated elixir.

What does SEMA mean to you? For most of us, it’s a place for the country’s top tuners to show their wares to a power-hungry public. But the dark side of SEMA never ceases to rear its ugly head, and further proof will be available at the Toyo booth where the Tetsu GTR Bentley Continental GT will be displayed.

The unholy brainchild of Japanese tuner ASI features a custom carbon fiber wide-body kit that makes ASMA’s unfortunate creations look demure in comparison. The two-tone paint scheme… uhhh… compliments the massive haunches, deep side skirts and GT-style wing, while 22-inch blingalicious rollers prove that chrome is still in high demand… unfortunately.

According to Modified Luxury and Exotics, only 29 Tetsu GTRs will be produced, each putting out over 800 hp. We’ll be on hand to provide live shots of the other five vehicles featured at the Toyo stand, assuming our camera lens doesn’t crack when we zoom in on the GTR’s gaudy fascia.

[Source: Modified Luxury and Exotics]

Bentley engines are some of the biggest, most powerful old-school units on the market, and that’s not about to change. This, despite earlier reports that Crewe was considering utilizing diesel engines or even the powerplant from the Bugatti Veyron, which now appear off the table… in the short run at least.

Although Bugatti and Bentley are now united under common leadership, Bugatti is rumored to be working on its own luxury limousine, so shoehorning its engine into the production Arnage could cut down its legs prematurely. As for the diesel, Bentley’s position remains that customers aren’t ready for oil-burning Bentleys at this point. In the short term, then, Bentley customers will just have to make do with 6.75-liter V8s and 6-liter W12s. Dang.

[Source: AutoBlog]

There’s badass, there’s relentlessly badass, and then there’s this. This is what happens when you dream up an idea that combines a vintage Bentley S3’s coachwork and chassis with a 300-horsepower BMW 4.4L V8, a ZF 5-speed auto, a custom dual exhaust, and a deluxe interior with all the modern amenities. Tweak the look to give it the feel of a late-model Bentley, add 20-inch forged wheels, slam it to the ground and you have Arturo Alonso’s Bentley S3 E design concept. Word is, Alonso and his team at Bentley Boys USA will build three of the cars over 8-month intervals to sell at $150K a pop. We want one. If it really does come to pass, this could wind up being as cool as John Fluevog’s Flueguar

[Source: AutoBlog]

2007 was good to the folks in Crewe, as Bentley Motors had its best year ever. (What, no VH1 special?) For the first time, the automaker surpassed the 10,000 mark in terms of vehicles sold — a tenfold increase over where it stood just five years ago. Both Arnage and Continental family sales were up — 45-percent for the former, thanks to the arrival of the new Azure, and 5-percent for the latter with the GTC leading the way. The record-high sales led to new high points for both net revenue (€1.37 billion) and operating profit (€155 million). This level of volume is pretty much where the automaker would like to settle going forward, as it lets Bentley stay exclusive while still returning a profit. Us? We’re just trying to figure out a way to tap into the joys of ownership ourselves. Follow the jump for Bentley’s full press release and some assorted eye candy.

[Source: AutoBlog]