A limited-production Diamond Series has been added for 2006. Only 400 will be made in commemoration of 60 years of production at the company’s Crewe, England, facility. The Diamond Series is based on the 2007 model-year Continental GT Mulliner Driving Specification, which differs from the standard Continental GT mainly in interior trim it features diamond-quilted leather on doors and seats, drilled alloy pedals, a leather-and-chrome transmission lever and dark-stained walnut or piano-black wood trim.

The Continental GT is the first Bentley to use a compact 6.0-liter W12 engine and all-wheel drive instead of traditional V8s or V12s and rear-wheel drive. The innovative engine and AWD system were developed by Bentley but are based on technology originally created by Volkswagen, which has owned Bentley since 1998.

The 552-hp twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 is basically two V6 engines attached side by side. It’s more compact than a traditional V12 which is typically longer by comparison, with two banks of six cylinders each, rather than four banks of three cylinders and allows for more efficient packaging and a larger interior. One feature that comes as a result of the efficient layout is the Continental GT’s rear-seat trunk pass-through. It allows skis and other long, narrow objects to be carried in the trunk.

Bentley heralds the Continental GT as a modern evolution of classic Bentley coupes such as the 1928 Speed Six and 1950 R-Type Continental with a new look that retains some traditional styling cues. These include flowing lines over the wheel arches, the prominent mesh grille, a pillar-less side-window area and four round headlights, with the inner two larger than the outer two.

With supercar performance and handing, limousine-like luxury and four seats, the Continental GT is a well-rounded alternative to similarly priced hard-core exotic sports cars from Aston Martin, Ferrari and Maserati. Its standard six-speed Tiptronic automatic is convenient and can be shifted manually using paddles behind the steering wheel or the gearshift lever between the front seats.

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Yes, the Flying Spur is a stretched Continental GT with central pillars, two more doors and acres of rear legroom. And yes, the Flying Spur’s suspension and Quattro all-wheel-drive system like the Continental GT’s share more than a passing relationship to the Phaeton’s chassis, and all three cars are brought to life at the hands of VW’s 6.0-liter W12 engine.

And it’s here in our story that the Flying Spur gains its unique, independent identity as a Bentley. Though Volkswagen owns Bentley outright, and the expense checks are signed in Wolfsburg, the Flying Spur’s accent is decidedly upper-class British monarchy rather than Bundes Republik German. And nowhere is that accent stronger than on the open six-lane stretches of Italian autostrada that lead out of Venice and into the steep, tightly knotted roads that scale the Dolomite Mountains to the west of the city.

For good measure and great acceleration, the Flying Spur employs a ZF six-speed automatic transmission with an especially aggressive first gear (14.68 to 1) and steering wheel-mounted paddles to let you crack the whip manually even when you leave the Tiptronic shift lever in “drive.”

The extreme effects of such an execution of power are a snap-launch off the line Bentley figures it’s got a 4.9-second 0-to-60 car here and a forward rush that finds itself a home in virtually any gear all the way up to the engine’s 6,500-rpm redline. At the top end of top gear, the Continental Flying Spur has been witnessed reaching 195 mph.

From inside the Flying Spur, however, you’ll notice a grand total of none of this acceleration drama. Rather, you’ll be entranced by the flood of premium leather covering everything from the seats and door panels to the rear parcel shelf and headliner. That which isn’t leather appears to be wood unbleached, unstained and mirror-matched (door-to-door) farm-grown walnut, with other veneers available.

Your pleasure-seeking side will be further shocked into complacency by the Flying Spur’s multizone climate control, a top-flight audio system with six-disc CD changer in the glovebox and a Breitling analog clock in the dash. The Bentley’s front seats feature 16-way electrical adjustment, plus heating controls, lumbar adjustment and a pulsing massage at the touch of a button. The rear seats also cater to passengers’ whims of warmth adjustment and legroom.

The double-wishbone front and multilink rear air spring suspension, too, supports your non-patrician leanings into high-speed corners. The setup is cockpit adjustable to four settings from comfort to sport, but the change is so transparent from in the cockpit that it’s hard to really appreciate unless you are following another Flying Spur into a good corner on a bad road. That way you can watch the road surface try to shake loose the car’s poise, and fail virtually every time.

Bringing 5,456 pounds of Bentley to a stop is never a pretty picture. But the Flying Spur with Bosch ABS, the safety of BrakeAssist, and the intelligence of electronic brake-pressure distribution manages the Herculean effort using front discs the size of a large pizza, 15.9 inches in diameter. There’s a bit of initial freeplay in the brake pedal before the clamping action starts, but after that it’s all business; no fade, no fear.

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The GTC carries the lines of the GT coupe with the soft-top in place. A single push of a button transforms this new Bentley into the world’s fastest open-top 4-seat automobile. With its 552-horsepower turbocharged W12 engine, the Continental GTC boasts a top speed with the top down of 190 mph, redefining the idea of “wind in your hair.”

The GTC also features a full-time all-wheel-drive system for improved handling in any conditions. The convertible top is a unique seven-bow, three-layer, soft fabric roof with a heated glass rear screen that operates electro-hydraulically and provides impressive acoustic damping and exceptional refinement during use. Inside, passengers are surrounded by the finest wood and leather as expected of a Bentley. An array of luxury amenities includes a premium audio system, an available DVD entertainment system and multi-adjustable seats.

 The GTC is scheduled to be in showrooms worldwide at the end of 2006. Meanwhile, the hand-built Arnage gets a number of improvements for the 2007 model year, including more power and freshened styling. Both the Arnage R and Arnage T get 50 more horses, which means the Arnage T will boast 500 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque from its twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V8 engine. Interior design updates include a new leather-trimmed gearlever and new Thin Film Technology driver information panel providing a clearer display. This Bentley will be an excellent addition to the GTC Continental family.

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It should be noted that Bentley is unlikely to shoot for anything much higher than 10,000 in order to maintain the exclusivity it enjoys as a super-premium brand. That said, Bentley will continue to develop and release new products that will help it maintain its current pace.

The Volkswagen Group’s acquisition of Bentley has enabled the luxury automaker to increase production and sales dramatically without compromising the hand-built nature that gives the brand such prestige and mystique. It’s a perfect example of what a lower-volume automaker can do when given the ability to leverage the larger corporate parent’s existing mechanicals and technology while maintaining the traditions that give it its identity. All the beauty, luxury and performance remain. There’s just more to go around.

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The Arnage sedan gets powertrain attention for model year 2007, which it very much needed. The 6.75-liter twin-turbo V8 in the Arnage T now makes a nice, round 500 bhp and enough torque to accelerate out of a black hole – 738 ft-lbs. Power climbs from 400 to 450 bhp in the Arnage R and long wheelbase RL, while torque goes up to 645 ft lbs. All Arnages also get a new ZF six-speed automatic that replaces the previous car’s dated four-speed.

“Two years ago we introduced major upgrades to the Arnage’s chassis, steering and brakes,” says Dr Ulrich Eichhorn, Member of the Board, Engineering. “Those improvements meant the car could easily handle a significant increase in power and torque, so work began on this important powertrain programme.”

The 2007 Model Year Arnage also benefits from safety, interior and design improvements. Every Arnage now has a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, rSAP Bluetooth integrated telephone system and improved driver ergonomics as standard. Additionally, new wheel, exterior paint colour and interior trim options are available, as well as an optional retractable ‘Flying B’ bonnet mascot.

Since then the car’s been able to handle the kind of power it will now finally be producing. The new 2007 Model Year Bentley Arnage range will go on sale from September 2006.

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