While paying homage to past Bentley greats, the brief for the new Mulsanne’s design and engineering teams was to create a Bentley that represents the pinnacle of British luxury motoring.
The new Mulsanne, designed and engineered at Crewe from the ground-up, reaffirms the marque’s intent to create a new flagship Bentley with refined performance, unparalleled levels of interior luxury and coach building skills to the fore.
The return of the Mulsanne name underlines Bentley’s sporting heritage and passion for power and speed. Nothing reflects that prowess better than the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours race. Bentley has enjoyed success on six occasions at Le Mans, where its powerful and reliable race cars have thundered down the long straight into the famous Mulsanne corner, from which the new model takes its name.
A pure expression of Bentley design
The design of the new Mulsanne is a unique fusion of sportiness, coachbuilt elegance and solidity. Echoing the Bentley S -Type of the 1950s, the Mulsanne features a bold frontal design dominated by the traditional Bentley matrix grille and highly prominent, classic round inner headlamps with chrome surrounds, flanked by two, smaller outboard lamp clusters, all featuring the latest in lighting technology. The iconic ‘Flying B’ retractable radiator mascot is available as an option.
The long bonnet, short front overhang and long rear overhang help to convey a sense of power and movement, reinforced by muscular haunches and sharply sculptured lines which flow gracefully from the front wings to the rear. Uniquely designed 20-inch (and optional 21-inch) wheels reinforce the Mulsanne’s powerful, sporting stance.
Design Director Dirk van Braeckel explains the inspiration behind the Mulsanne’s distinctive appearance:“The opportunity to design a new flagship Bentley is something afforded to very few designers. The team set out to create a sculpted form that blended classic Bentley heritage cues with modern lines.”
Bentley customers have a world of infinite choice when commissioning their cars. There are over 100 paint colours in the range that include everything from unusual heritage colours, special satin and pearlescent finishes and duo-tone combinations. But the choice does not end there. Through the bespoke world of Bentley Mulliner, unique colours can exactly match a customer’s vision and taste.
Sumptuous interior meets advanced technology
The Bentley interior design team has continued to develop and evolve the luxurious interiors for which their cars are renowned, based on a large-scale, research programme to identify the classic signature features that have defined Bentleys from the 1920s to the present day.
The latest in-car technologies are discreetly placed within the Mulsanne’s sumptuous interior. A multimedia system with 60GB hard disc drives satellite navigation, audio/video, personal data, telephone and Bluetooth® connectivity. The upper dashboard houses an 8-inch multimedia screen, positioned unobtrusively behind an electrically operated veneered door, while below sits a stylish, leather-lined media player stowage drawer with connectors for iPod, USB, Mini USB and 3.5mm aux.A state-of-the-art 14-speaker audio system with Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and 6-CD autochanger is provided as standard while the Naim for Bentley premium audio system may be specified as an option.
A personalised keyless entry system allows multiple pre-programmed configurations and automatically sets radio stations, phone book, seat (including ventilation and massage modes, both front and rear), steering column and seatbelt settings and even the electrically operated rear-seat blinds for side and rear windows. The keyless system operates with the chrome door handles which incorporate touch points to initiate communication with the key for verification and entry. The Mulsanne also features keyless start, having a stop/start button on the centre console.
Armed with this invaluable resource, the Mulsanne’s design team set itself highly challenging targets for key interior characteristics such as material design, smell, colour harmony and handcrafting. Similar targets were set for the operational refinement and robustness of all control mechanisms. The result is a hand-crafted interior that fully reflects traditional Bentley values, executed to the highest possible standards.The use of wood and leather hides has increased significantly to create an even more refined and luxurious cabin. While classic design features such as bulls-eye air vents (now also fitted in the rear compartment), high-quality mirror-matched wood veneers, leather hides and hand-finished stainless steel are retained, they are mixed with new touches such as beautiful ‘glass’ switches.
The carpet of the Mulsanne is unique to Bentley, its increased fibre depth, density and feel enhancing cabin quality. It is available in a range of colours to complement each individual hide. Pure wool, deep pile Wilton-weave over mats can add a further touch of comfort and luxury.
Re-engineered V8 engine and new chassis: power, refinement and efficiency
The Bentley powertrain engineers were set three objectives for the Mulsanne:
1) To produce the effortless torque from extremely low revs that customers expect of a grand Bentley
2) To maintain the highest levels of refinement
3) To satisfy strict current and future environmental standards through improved engine efficiency
Overall, CO2 emissions and fuel consumption are reduced by more than 15 percent, in line with Bentley’s environmental commitment.
A new air suspension system with Continuous Damping Control (CDC) creates an even more refined and comfortable ride at lower speeds, yet can reduce the Mulsanne’s ride height automatically at high speeds to reduce lift and improve aerodynamic stability. With 20-inch alloy wheels and 265/45 ZR 20 tyres as standard, dynamic handling is assured. Customers may also opt for 21-inch wheels, available in two styles, fitted with 265/40 ZR 21 tyres.
While the all-new Bentley Mulsanne pays respect to the past, it is a thoroughly modern luxury car that offers the world’s most exclusive driving experience – a unique fusion of power, refinement and elegance.
Bentley Motors Chairman and Chief Executive Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen says:
“No other car maker can offer such a blend of performance and refinement in a single vehicle. The new Mulsanne is a car that evokes the Bentley philosophy of building the best luxury grand tourers in the world.”
At the front, the distinctive vehicle badge reigns elegantly above the large oval-shaped grille, its centre home to the striking double chevron. The car’s “look” – charming and profound at the same time – attracts and holds the viewer’s gaze with a promise of transgressions suddenly made possible. Its slim, horizontal head lamps, inspired by high-performance sports coupés, exert a magnetic appeal, while an LED light signature adds a contemporary, high-tech touch. Survolt was made to gobble up the miles and glide over roads.
The cabin was imagined as a cross between two worlds that by their essence are opposed. This union begets an organic universe, both flowing and technical, from which the driver’s station springs forth. The interior as a whole was designed to bring the two occupants comfort and refinement, triggering singular pleasure and an outstanding experience.The car’s generous glazed area brings light and a sensation of space, light years from that offered by today’s sports cars.
■Nissan’s Connect Premium state-of-the-art combined touch-screen satellite navigation and audio system with USB connectivity
In terms of its mechanical specification, the Black Edition matches the standard 370Z. That means a 3.7-litre 24-valve twin cam V6 developing 328PS and a limited top speed of 155mph and a 0-62 mph time of 5.3 seconds (5.6 seconds for the automatic version). The 2010 model year update means the 370Z is now fully compliant with forthcoming Euro 5 emission legislation.Exemplary levels of handling and grip are assured by the focused rear-wheel drive chassis which features fully independent suspension, powerful upgraded brakes and precise speed sensitive power steering.
Despite the global economic recession together with other factors such as the fluctuation of fuel prices and the political situations in Thailand, Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) was satisfied with its total sales volume. Professor Dr. Alexander Paufler, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) said the 2008 figures for Mercedes-Benz were an achievement for the company and it was an exceptional effort in a difficult year. “The launch of 4 new models in 2008 i.e. the new C-Class, CLC-Class Sport Coupé, the new generation SL 350 and the new generation SLK 200 enabled us to provide more variety across customer segments and lifestyles. Moreover, Mercedes-Benz has continueously introduced new technologies and innovations which increased customer confidence in the brand and allowed us to maintain our leadership for the 8th consecutive year.” “We are delighted to hold the leadership position not only in the overall figures but also as the leader in each of our categories.” “In order to be responsive to the current economic crisis, we plan to implement more aggressive marketing strategies to reinforce our sales by firstly best selecting various models to cater to different customer’s needs. Moreover, we at Mercedes-Benz offer environmentally friendly vehicles,” added Professor Dr. Paufler. 
Rear pivot-and-slide doors ensure maximum entry comfort
When developing the Carlsson C25, the engineers from Gut Wiesenhof have achieved creating a Super-GT for smooth everyday use despite its very high performance. “There are more than enough super sports car in this world which can only be safely driven on a race track”, says Markus Schuster. “Therefore, we deliberately wanted to develop a car which is highly exclusive on the one hand and can be used for the daily journey to office on the other hand. Therefore, a Super-GT which can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in only 3.7 seconds and still offers a very pleasant driving comfort. All security-relevant regulations such as pedestrian protection, crash behaviour, ESP, ABS, Airbag systems are identical to large series editions with most modern standards.”
A new performance package has been released by the German-based tuning firm Inden-Design for the Mercedes-Benz S500 4MATIC. In the standard S 500 4MATIC, the 5.5-litre V8 engine produces an output of 388 HP accelerating the all-wheel-drive luxury sedan from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 5.4 seconds.
