General News
Riding Shotgun with Juha Kankkunen, World Champion Rally Driver
Feb 14th
The name Juha Kankkunen should immediately resonate with all you rally fans out there. Just in case you’re not a rally fan and you’ve never heard of Kankkunen before, here’s the skinny. He’s a former rally driver for Toyota, Peugeot and Lancia and has won 23 individual rallies and has earned four world driver’s champion titles. Needless to say, the man can drive.
What you may not know is that Kankkunen is a big fan of Bentley. Such a big fan, in fact, that he set the world speed record on ice in 2007 with his own Bentley Continental GT. You read that right – he drove his own car at nearly 200 miles per hour on ice. In 2011, Kankkunen beat his own record in a factory-provided Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible averaging 205.48 miles per hour (one run in each direction on the track). Both records were set in largely stock vehicles, save minor aerodynamic improvements, the addition of roll cages, studded Nokian tires designed specifically for the task, and that’s it.
To see what it’s like to drive a 5000-plus pound car at insane speeds on a frozen fjord, Bentley invited some of its best-performing dealers to attend a driving event in Finland. Our General Manager was the fortunate one from Bentley Minneapolis to make the trip. Bentley provided lots of seat time for Matt and the other folks who were there, but the best part may have been the ride along with Juha himself.
Luckily for us, Matt brought a camera with him to capture the experience. Check out the video below to see what it’s like to ride with a world-champion rally driver in a 621 horsepower Bentley on nothing but ice and snow.
Note: the car in the video is the very same Continental Supersports Convertible that set the 205-MPH record in 2011 (shown in the photo above).
Rendered Speculation: Bentley looking to expand with entry coupe, crossover? (from Autoblog)
Mar 4th
It’s no secret that Bentley’s sales have lagged a bit in the past couple of years. To combat that decline, the folks in Crewe have put a great deal of focus into strengthening their line-up with cars like the Continental Supersports, the Mulsanne, and the soon-to-be-released 2012 Continental GT. It looks like they aren’t going to stop there, however. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but we may see something along the lines of a Mercedes CLS competitor, as well as a crossover to fight the likes of the Porsche Cayenne and Maserati’s upcoming SUV.
Here’s what Autoblog had to say:
Rumors continue to swirl that incoming Bentley boss Wolfgang Dürheimer, who previously served as head of research and development at Porsche, is looking long and hard at how to expand the luxury marque’s product line. Considering Dürheimer’s experience making magic happen at Porsche, it seems likely that Bentley would tap into the platform used for the Panamera sedan, and that’s exactly what the blokes from Auto Express are suggesting.
The first new model may be an ultra-luxe machine that would fit into the burgeoning four-door-coupe segment. If so, expect a price tag in the mid-$250,000 range and engine choices ranging from the tried-and-true W12 to a new turbocharged 4.0-liter V8.
Those powertrains may also find their way into the engine bay of a Bentley crossover, says Auto Express. As much as some may protest, a Porsche Cayenne-based Bentley with a price near the $200K mark would seem a very real possibility… as would an optional diesel engine, which would be new territory for the brand.
Finally, the long-rumored entry-level (can anything with a $150,000 price tag be called entry-level?) Bentley coupe that would slot below the Continental GT is still a talking point. Branching out into any or all of these segments are seen as a way to get back to the 10,000-unit peak sales year of 2007, as compared to just 4,616 units in 2009.
Head on over to Auto Express to see some rendered speculation on what these vehicles could potentially look like.
via [Autoblog]
source [Auto Express]
Two Fantastic New Arrivals
Feb 15th
Maybe you’re looking for a new performance car for yourself, maybe you know someone else who’s looking, or maybe you just love cars. In any case, I thought you all might like to know about two fantastic cars we just received as trade-ins. They both come from one of our very best clients. He’s an excellent steward of his car collection, and these cars are proof of just how meticulous he is.
First up is a beautifully clean 2002 Ferrari 360 Spider F1. It’s the right color combination in Grigio Titanio over Nero leather, and it has the right options. Electric Daytona-style seats, “Scuderia Ferrari” fender shields, aluminum-color brake calipers, contrast stitching in Grigio Scuro, and the pre-wiring and battery charger kit complete the package. This one also has fully current service WITH records, plus all of the original manuals and their leather portfolio, three keys and full clearshield already installed. Check it out here.
Second, but by no means least, is a 2001 Dodge Viper GTS in Viper Race Yellow. This one isn’t for the faint of heart; it comes equipped with Dodge’s ACR Competition Group (competition-tuned suspension, 5-point race harnesses, high-flow air cleaner, unique painted alloy wheels, “ACR” badging to the interior and exterior). It does also have the Comfort Group (A/C, Alpine stereo system w/CD player), so you could easily drive this car every day. Check out the Viper here.
Our inventory is constantly changing, so visit our website at www.twincitiesluxuryauto.com often, but these two are definitely the most exciting of our new arrivals. If you don’t see the car you’re looking for, let us know. We always want to hear your input.
~Aaron
Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione video
Oct 5th
The Alfa 8c Competizione has been unveiled in Paris with this accompanying video.