NEWS: David Appleby Engineering Get First Bentley Continental GT3

Lucky David Appleby Engineering has announced it will become the first Bentley Continental GT3 customer team – taking delivery of the new, glorious, 600bhp, twin turbo V8 race car in January.
The team, which will race under the Generation Bentley Racing banner, has been formed to develop young talent in motorsport for drivers, engineers and mechanics and will compete in the British GT Championship in 2014.
Drivers James Appleby (GB) and Steve Tandy (GB) will take the wheel next year in British GT and the car is available to compete in the FIA Blancpain endurance series for interested parties. The team is keen to take full advantage of the Continental GT3's eligibility for a wide spectrum of worldwide endurance racing.
James Appleby from Banbury, initially began his racing career in the SEAT Cupra Championship in 2008. James has since competed regularly in the Aston Martin GT4 at a European level as a Junior Aston Martin Racing team driver and was presented the star of the future award by Aston Martin Racing in 2010.
Steve Tandy from Gloucestershire started his career racing classic sportscars in 2006 and is very familiar with the British GT Championship having competed for the last two seasons in the GT3 class achieving two overall wins and a multitude of podium finishes.
Launched at Goodwood in July this year, the new 1300 kg Bentley Continental GT3 race car features a 4.0 litre V8 twin turbo V8 developing an unrestricted 600 bhp. The new race car is based on the road-going Continental and has received an aerodynamic package of enhancements while retaining its iconic and recognisable form.
Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush, comments: “I am delighted that David and his team will be competing with the Continental GT3 in our home country in 2014. The team has a wealth of experience and I'm confident that their energy and professionalism will see some very encouraging results next year. We'll be supporting them every step of the way and I wish them every success in the British GT Championship.”
David Appleby, Managing Director, David Appleby Engineering said: "Having had enormous success in GT4, we are very excited to be taking it to the next level. The Continental GT3 is a fantastic package of British design and engineering, and it's eligibility for both British GT and Blancpain makes it a perfect racecar for us."

Generation Bentley Racing will make its debut at the opening round of the British GT Championship taking place at Oulton Park on 19 April 2014.

NEWS: Bentley Continental GT3 Racer Makes World Debut @ Goodwood FOS & More!

Bentley are bringing their biblically epic Continental GT3 race car to make its world debut at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed – in their biggest presence at the ace hill climb based car show event. Best of all, four-time World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen will drive the breath-taking Continental GT Speed (coupe up the famous Goodwood hill-climb over all three days of the Festival! And as if that wasn't enough... Bentley will also be bringing a Speed 8 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Le Mans win. And there will be a new Flying Spur and the full Bentley range on display the Bentley stand! 

Oh, and did we mention five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell MBE once again donning the Bentley overalls for the event – this year piloting the fastest four-seat convertible in the world – the 202 mph (325 km/h) GT Speed Convertible. With a more dynamic chassis setup, increased power and torque and a host of subtle yet distinctive styling cues, the GT Speed Convertible is the pinnacle of the Continental range. Derek comments: “Coming back to Goodwood with Bentley is always a real honour, and this year I have the pleasure of driving a 616bhp convertible up the infamous hill. 2013 is certain to be a great year for us at the Festival.”
The Continental GT3 will be unveiled on the media stage in the F1 paddock at 10:15 on Friday 12th July, at which point more information about the car will be released. And you can hear all about that and see more pictures here, naturally.

For now, see some more images of the Bentley's on display here.

NEWS: M-Sport Bentley Continental GT3 Concept Racer UK Debut @ Autosport

After highlight unveilings at both the Paris Mondial de l'Automobile and the LA Auto Show, the awesome Bentley Continental GT3 Concept Racer (being worked on by rallying's M-Sport) is set to star at the not so glamorous (but still most influential) stage that is the NEC in Birmingham – at the 2013 Autosport International exhibition, where it will make its UK debut.
Following the announcement of Bentley’s return to motorsport in the GT3 category, response to the Continental GT3 has been overwhelmingly positive with significant interest from numerous potential customers. With detail design now underway at Bentley’s new motorsport department at the factory in Crewe, the Continental GT3 is on schedule to make its first on-track appearance by the end of 2013.
To assist with the design of specialist components and offer focussed technical expertise during the development of the programme, Bentley is delighted to announce a technical partnership with M-Sport Ltd, whose credentials include the successful running of World Rally Programmes since 1997, including winning two Manufacturer’s World Rally Championships.
Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush, comments: "Not only do we now have a world-beating operation in M-Sport as our new Technical Partner, but we have the honour of showing our Continental GT3 concept at Autosport International. The car continues to attract interest from around the globe, which is very encouraging as we progress the detail design. The whole team is looking forward to the exciting months ahead."
M-Sport will design and develop specialist components, together with design work and project organisation being undertaken in-house at Crewe. The company’s Dovenby Hall base in Cumbria complements the Crewe-based team and factory facilities, together creating an array of expertise and equipment that will help to ensure the development of a competitive GT3 racecar worthy of Bentley’s return to the racetrack.
Commenting on the new partnership, M-Sport’s Managing Director Malcolm Wilson remarks: "Joining forces with Bentley to help create the new Continental GT3 is a rare privilege. Bentley’s design and analysis work to-date has shown that the Continental GT road car can become an extremely competitive race car, and we are looking forward to capitalising on our extensive competition car development experience and success to help Bentley realise its goals."
Looks fantastic eh? Sure to steal the show at Autosport, even over the new Radical.
We can't wait to see it battle the likes of Spa and Nurburging, can you?
See more images here.

VIDEO: Eterniti launches the 180mph, £210,000 Artemis Super-SUV

And here's a video of the incredible Artemis Super-SUV launched tonight...

NEWS: 600bhp, 180mph, £210K 'Super-SUV' Artemis Launch by Eterniti Motors

Christ! Every now and again something a bit special pops up and blows us away – and the 600bhp, 553lb ft, 180mph, 4.8-litre twin turbo V8 Artemis 'Super-SUV' built by London’s only carmaker, 

Eterniti Motors, has just knocked us sideways.

The incredible, £210,000 monster was unveiled to us tonight in London at the 10,000 sq.ft. Eterniti showrooms in Park Royal, north-west London, in a full-on production-specification version of the company's first model. The Artemis had previously been shown as an engineering prototype at Beijing’s Auto China 2012 international motor show in April. Now it's here and folk are in awe of it, understandably.

Tonight's event was attended by over 100 media, business figures and VIPs including Grammy and Brit award-winning music producer Steve Levine, who has worked with artists from the Beach Boys to Gary Moore. The guests witnessed the unveiling of the car which features a previously unseen mega-luxury interior, in an ultra-modern showroom environment. The incredible Eterniti facility includes an atelier and design studio where customers can have consultations to develop their own vehicle specifications. In addition there is a sister build facility close by, making Eterniti London’s only carmaker.
The Artemis is the world’s first Super-SUV – a term created by Eterniti for a new class of vehicle providing the higher levels of luxury, performance and exclusivity demanded by today’s wealthy car buyers. It comes to the market ahead of projected luxury SUVs from Bentley, Lamborghini and Maserati.
The car has a limousine-like rear cabin featuring standard-setting legroom, twin reclining rear seats with heating and cooling, iPad-ready holders with electronic reveal, and a drinks chiller with crystal glasses. This satisfies a specific and growing demand, particularly in Asian markets, for a car suitable for chauffeured transport and also for driving for pleasure. Unlike a conventional limousine, an SUV can offer excellent handling and driver appeal, and the ride height and ruggedness are suitable for poor road surfaces which can make limousines and conventional high-performance cars completely impractical. With all these attributes in one package, the Artemis is the ultimate crossover.
The interior is lavishly handcrafted in Britain, with a specification also including the finest leathers, quilted floor coverings and boot trim, lambswool rugs, veneers including natural woods, piano black and carbon fibre, and the no-cost option of starlight roof lining. Thousands of combinations of exterior and interior trims mean that every car can be made unique.
The body panels are carbon composite and also hand-built, and finished in a large choice of paint colours, complemented by different chrome trim styles. Ultra-low profile 315/25 tyres sit on dedicated 23” super-lightweight forged alloy rims in a variety of styles.
The 4.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine produces at least 600bhp (441kW) and 750Nm (553 lb ft) torque, can accelerate from 0-100kph in 4.5 secs and can exceed 290kph, making it the fastest large SUV available. Performance and handling have been developed by a race-bred British engineering team led by Alastair Macqueen. Macqueen previously developed to production the Jaguar XJ220, then the world’s fastest road car, and has engineered three outright Le Mans 24 Hour race wins for Jaguar and Bentley. The car has been test-driven by F1 Grand Prix winner Johnny Herbert.
"With its 600 bhp, active anti-roll system, massive grip and controlled dynamics, I believe that this is an SUV with the heart and soul of a supercar," says Head of Engineering Alastair Macqueen. "And with more space and luxury we think that makes it a true Super-SUV."
Interior trim and personalisation is headed by Alan Mobberley, who was previously at Land Rover for 20 years, with responsibility for development of Land Rover interior design including the iconic Range Rover and the Discovery, for which he won a Design Council Award.
The Eterniti Artemis is priced at the local currency equivalent of £210,000 plus local taxes in all markets except China, which has a unique pricing strategy. A fully bespoke service is also offered for customers wanting complete personalisation, for which cars are priced on an individual basis.
Eterniti is establishing a network of wholly-owned showrooms in key centres. London, where the cars are hand-built, is the headquarters. Eterniti-owned showrooms will open in Asia in 2013, beginning with Hong Kong, which will serve as the company’s Asia-Pacific hub. The company is actively looking for retail partners to develop representation in China during 2013. Cars will be covered by a full two-year, 100,000-mile warranty including servicing, and UK customers will have access to finance and insurance.
Speaking about Eterniti, a spokesman said: "Eterniti was started in 2010 to help satisfy a growing demand for additional luxury and personalised specifications among car buyers, particularly in major cities, global wealth centres and emerging markets ranging from London to the Asia-Pacific region. Uniquely, it is located in London and builds its vehicles there.

"Although Eterniti is basing its business case around meeting market needs, its people have a passion for cars. The team has extensive experience in retailing some of the most prestigious British and European luxury and high-performance car brands, including Aston Martin, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Bentley and Ferrari, in markets from the UK to Asia-Pacific. It has further experience in motor sport, with an FIA championship-winning record in GT series in both Europe and Asia, and Chief Engineer Alastair Macqueen has masterminded three wins in the Le Mans 24 Hour classic, for Jaguar and Bentley."
Expect to hear a LOT more from the Eterniti brand and much ooo-ing and arr-ing by the press on the bionic, ballistic Artemis 'Super-SUV' in the days, weeks, months and years to come. A new era of London car making is upon us... and we applaud Eterniti whole-heartedly.  

BLOG FEATURE: Bentley Mulsanne 7-litre V8 Twin Turbo

Talented motoring journalist, Richard Barnett gives the new Bentley Mulsanne a run for its big money: 

"Editor Phil said I had up to 500 words to review the Bentley Mulsanne, but I think you could do it on the number of fingers on one hand: big, rapid, luxurious, stunning. And that leaves the thumb out.
Word count aside, Bentley’s top-of-the-tree luxury saloon, which sits above the Continental Flying Spur, actively replicates those pre-war Bentleys that built the maker’s reputation for mixing power with a finely-appointed interior. 

And in the Mulsanne the power certainly does the talking: mash that heavily-sprung accelerator pedal to unleash the twin turbo'd, seven-litre V8’s power onto that unsuspecting tarmac. 

Being rear-wheel drive the ‘sanne feels less friction-constrained than the four-wheel drive Continental. The seven-speed automatic is almost seamless, but to be that good at changes up and down the range would take away the fact that despite its size, this is a car that the owner should be driving, rather than reclining in the back keeping an eye on share values or who’s giving the best odds at Haydock Park that afternoon.
In many ways the Mulsanne is a dual-personality car: yes, it’s highly luxurious: but then again, it’s seriously rapid, but in a way that lacks the urgency of its lower-priced Continental siblings.
However, along with that seriously grin-inducing straight-line performance the Mulsanne is very, very composed through the bends. Thanks to its 22-inch Dunlop Maxx treads grip is unsurpassed and even on wet muddy country roads it simply sticks to the tarmac, leaving you to enjoy the well-composed, gently-weighted steering.
And while the performance is good, the stopping is up to par as well. The brakes are nicely balanced and have a very good, progressive feel that adds to the driving pleasure.
Meanwhile for the passengers there’s plenty of room and plenty of fittings to make each and every journey an occasion. Acres of wood and leather of course recall the Bentleys of years gone by but the way the interior is put together is first rate, the only other car getting near to it (other than the Continental) being Jaguar’s current XJ saloon.
And when it comes to the power game, a car’s appearance doesn’t have to have the desperate cry of ‘look at me’. The Mulsanne is B-I-G, and there’s no getting away from that. But what’s pleasing is that its looks won’t date rapidly and in the same way the 1981-1996 Bentley Eight /Turbo R still looks great, in 10-15 years the current Mulsanne will too.
Successfully blending old-school Bentley traits with new technology, the Mulsanne is King of the Castle in luxury saloons. Power, luxury, room and great looks. In the top-flight super saloon echelons no rapid four-door can best the Bentley…."

Great job Richy, thanks a million pal. When you getting yours? 

See more of Richy's images on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/roadmagblog