2008 Bentley Brooklands
The 2008 Bentley Brooklands is the $330,000 flagship
 coupe of the Bentley line. 

Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2008 Bentley Brooklands

This is no mere automobile, it is the 2008 Bentley Brooklands, an imposing, mostly hand-built coupe. If you want to sound like you might be able to afford this $330,000 beauty, stiffen your upper lip and call it the "big Bentley coo-pay motorcar." 

What We Know About the 2008 Bentley Brooklands

The Brooklands is an ultra-luxury four-passenger showpiece designed to blend great performance and unbridled opulence. It's the coupe variant of the Arnage sedan and the Azure convertible, which make up Bentley's older family of cars, a range that predates its ownership by Volkswagen.

The Brooklands is larger than Bentley's Continental GT, and intented to appeal to a more exclusive clientele. But in a calculated move, the Brooklands takes its styling cues from the GT, which has become Bentley's most recognized and successful car and a darling of  sports and show-biz trend-setters since its 2004 introduction.

Unlike the GT, which cribs its all-wheel-drive platform from VW's defunct Phaeton sedan and has a 552-horsepower V-12, the heavier Brooklands has rear-wheel drive and a 530-horsepower V-8. The Brooklands shouldn't hurt for performance, though; Bently says its twin-turbo 6.8-liter engine has 774 pound-feet of torque, the most ever developed by a production V-8. The Brooklands puts this power to the road via a six-speed automatic transmission and 20-inch tires.

The new coupe is hand assembled at Bentley's shop in Crewe, Cheshire, England. Besides lording that over commoners who own such mass-produced items as the $144,000 Mercedes-Benz CL600, the Brooklands owner can let it slip that Bentley says the only way to accomplish the flowing line where the roof sweeps into the rear fenders is by individual hand-welding.

This is a true hardtop -- no center window post -- and its cabin brims with metal brightwork, polished wood, and soft leather. The two rear bucket-type seats are power adjustable, of course, and the buyer can customize the the interior trim, including the type of wood, even the color of the carpets and seatbelt straps.

The Brooklands is named for a famous British race track where Bentley was a victor in the 1920s, an era when it was an icon of English motoring and a four-time winner of the 24 Hours of  LeMans. The marque came under the control of Rolls-Royce, and in 1998 was bought by Volkswagen, which has guided it back to renown and sales health.

2008 Bentley Brooklands
The 2008 Bentley Brooklands is larger and more expensive than
the $170,000 Bentley Continental GT, but was styled by the
same designers, and intentionally resembles the GT.   

A Notable Feature of the 2008 Bentley Brooklands

The interior roof liner consists of seven strips of leather flowing uninterrupted from the windshield to the rear of the car. Each is about 6-feet long.

Buying Advice for the 2008 Bentley Brooklands

It isn't likely to matter to Brooklands buyers that the car traces its underskin design to the failed Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph, or its engine to a V-8 that appeared in 1959. Bentley plans to build just 550 Brooklands over a three-year period, and it's already attracting those of great wealth and particular taste.

Release Date for the 2008 Bentley Brooklands: Second half of 2008.

First Test Drive of the 2008 Bentley Brooklands: Starting later in 2007. Preview test drives for the media will be limited, and Bentley is likely to invited selected prospective clients for private test drives at around the same time.

2008 Bentley Brooklands Prices: $330,000.

2008 Bentley Brooklands
The 2008 Bentley Brooklands is first-cabin all the way, even the rear
seats, which are leather-lined and individually power-adjustable.  


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