| Bentley last won at Le Mans 10 years ago, so with this year's race a little more than a month away, it's hardly any wonder that the automaker is releasing six special-edition treatments for the Mulsanne and Continental GT lineup to celebrate each of its victories at the famed French endurance race. This year's Le Mans contest also marks the race's 90th anniversary, so Bentley decided to throw the spectacle a sort of limited-edition party. Now, this is a bit confusing, but stick with us. There are six special editions for North American buyers to choose from, each of which represent one of Bentley's six Le Mans–winning drivers: John Duff, Dudley Benjafield, Woolf Barnato, Tim Birkin, Glen Kidston, and Guy Smith. Basically appearance packages, each can be applied to the Mulsanne, the Continental GT V8, the Continental GTC V8, the Continental GT, the Continental GTC, as well as the Continental GT Speed. Bentley will build just 48 of each model in any of the six driver packages a buyer chooses, meaning if all 48 Continental GT V8 buyers want the same treatment, Bentley will build 48 Continental GT V8s with that treatment. For those counting, that's 288 cars in total, with whichever mix of the six limited-edition combinations buyers choose. Okay, so on to the drivers, who all have pretty interesting names and backstories. John Duff, the "original Bentley Boy," first won at Le Mans in 1924; for his efforts, Bentley's John Duff special-edition package includes Moonbeam (silver) paint, a two-tone Linen and Beluga (black) interior with contrast stitching and piano black and aluminum trim. The award for best name of a Bentley Le Mans winner goes to Dudley Benjafield, who won in 1927. His special-edition gear brings Verdant (dark green) paint, two-tone Linen and Cumbrian Green interior with contrast stitching, and dark burr walnut and aluminum trim.
According to Bentley, the company's founder once described Woolf Barnato as the brand's best driver ever. The man snagged wins in every Le Mans race he entered between 1927 and 1930, and even has a color named after him in Bentley's options catalog today. Curiously, his eponymous limited-edition kit doesn't include Barnato paint; instead, it mates Granite paint with a Hotspur (red) interior with Beluga stitching and carbon-fiber trim in the Continental range. Mulsannes equipped with the Barnato package get dark burr walnut and aluminum trim. Barnato shared his 1930 win with Glen Kidston, whose tribute brings a Dark Sapphire (blue) exterior over a two-tone Newmarket Tan and Imperial Blue interior with contrast stitching and walnut and aluminum accents. Driver Tim Birkin, who is described by Bentley as "utterly ruthless," gets a decidedly non-ruthless-looking Glacier White over Beluga color scheme, as well as Piano Black and aluminum trim. And finally, modern driver Guy Smith, who piloted a Speed 8 to a win in 2003, is celebrated by a murdered-out treatment that includes Beluga paint, a Beluga interior with Hotspur red stitching and piano black and aluminum trim. Each Le Mans specification adds $26,490 to the Mulsanne's bottom line, $11,750 to the Continental GT and GTC, $15,770 to the Continental GT V8 and GTC V8, and $7320 to the Conti GT Speed. So the cars aren't cheap—the Continental GT V8 starts at $181,425, the GT at $202,425, the GT Speed at $220,725, and the Mulsanne at an eye-watering $302,425—but we dig that Bentley is sending the cars to our market at all. If you're a well-heeled Le Mans fan, we suggest checking them out.  from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com | |||
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