New Bentley Mulsanne (Grand) Unveiled At Pebble Beach

After endless teaser videos and pictures we finally have the new Bentley Mulsanne for all to see. The new flagship Bentley Mulsanne was unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey, California sans its “Grand” monikor. The car was also spied by Car Magazine UK which revealed the front and rear styling and some interior details.

Mulasanne is named after the famous 90 degree corner at the end of the straight at the LeMans circuit, showcasing Bentley’s racing pedigree with six victories at the venue. The car takes its inspiration from the 8.0 Litre Bentley of 1930-31 which in its time was the largest and most luxurious automobile in the world and is the first Bentley in a long time to be built from grounds up and shares nothing from the VW parts bin, by which it is owned by now a days. Even the front headlight arrangement is reminiscent of the older 8.0 Litre Bentley’s where smaller lamps were mounted slightly onboard from the mains.

Production of the new Mulsanne will begin next year at the state of the art plant in the Crewe with sales beginning mid 2010.

Speaking at the Mulsanne unveling at Pebble Beach, Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley Motors, said: “The challenge we set our engineers was to create a new grand Bentley that would stand as the pinnacle of British luxury motoring, offering the world’s most exclusive driving experience. They have responded to this challenge with real passion and the result is a luxury grand tourer that sets new standards in terms of comfort, effortless performance and hand-crafted refinement - the very qualities for which Bentley is renowned.”

Bentley hasnt revealed the powertrain specifications which will be known by the time the Mulsanne makes its public debut at the Frankfurt motor show, but sources suggest that the new car uses the revised version of the L series 6.75 Litre Twin Turbo V8 which produces 500 bhp and 1000 nm of torque with modified lighter internals and enhancements and a new fuel injection system and even cylinder de-activation (ala Honda Accord V6!) to address the environmental concerns. Additionally Mulsanne will also be E85 bio-ethanol compatible.