Bentley’s made the Mulsanne, its hyper-fast luxury flagship, even faster with a new Mulsanne Speed.
The car, which will sit at the pinnacle of the Bentley range is equipped with a six and three-quarter-litre twin turbocharged V8 engine tuned to produce 530bhp and a massive 1,100Nm of torque from 1,750rpm. As a result, the Mulsanne Speed will demolish 0-60mph in a sports car-rivalling 4.8 seconds, and will continue to a top speed of 190mph.
Bentley has attempted to reign in this astonishing power with the inclusion of a recalibrated 8-speed gearbox designed to help deliver optimum torque. The transmission includes a new “S” mode that gives the driver more control of gear selection, while keeping engine speed above 2,000rpm so the turbochargers are always on song.
The Mulsanne Speed features a ‘driver-focused’ Sport suspension mode, which stiffens the air suspension for better body control, increases the steering speed for better accuracy and even changes the tone of the exhausts to help deliver a sportier drive.
The new car features a dark tint finish to the stainless steel matrix grilles, radiator grille, lower bumper grilles and wing vents. The rear lights get a dark tint treatment, too, so it’s easier to separate from its ‘ordinary’ Mulsanne brother.
The Mulsanne Speed weighs a not inconsiderable 2,685kg, but it is 13 per cent more efficient than the previous car. Don’t expect miracles, though. Bentley reckons it’ll return 19.3mpg on the combined cycle, but as little as 12.4mpg around town – and that’s if you’re driving sensibly.
Carbon dioxide emissions, if you’re interested, are rated at 342g/km.
The Bentley Mulsanne Speed will be showed off at the Paris Motor Show on Thursday 2nd October, with cars being delivered to customers in winter 2014.
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