After 2 decades in production and over 100,000 units having been produced, Bentley have finally announced that the production of their now legendary W12 engine
Our 2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed has made its way from the Bridge Classic Cars HQ here in Suffolk all the way up to Scotland
The Bridge Classic Cars team have been shooting our latest competition: the 203MPH, 600BHP 2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed. The absolute epitome of style and
Just arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ is this absolutely stunning 2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed. The luxury GT car has come in
The 1969 Bentley T1 which has been in with the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body team has now been completed! What started as a
The iconic coach stripe which adorns the lengths of many classic Bentley’s has been applied to the 1969 Bentley T1 by the Bridge Classic Cars
The 1969 Bentley T1 which is being worked on by the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body team, have been joined by the in-house trim
The windows in the 1969 Bentley T1 have been getting built back up and refit into the doors by the restoration team at Bridge Classic
The team in the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body shop has been working on refitting the trims to the 1969 Bentley T1 after its
The 1969 Bentley T1 has been in the paint preparation area of the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop to have the latest round of primer
The 1969 Bentley T1 has been moved from the Bridge Classic Cars body shop into the paint shop to begin its journey towards its full
The 1969 Bentley T1 currently in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ has had the first test fit of its new replacement
The Bridge Classic Cars paint and body team have been working on the 1969 Bentley T1 before it heads into our restoration workshop for some
The Bridge Classic Cars body team have been working alongside our workshop technicians to get the 1969 Bentley T1 stripped down and ready to be
After 2 decades in production and over 100,000 units having been produced, Bentley have finally announced that the production of their now legendary W12 engine will stop in April of 2024.
This engine came to define so much of the high-tech/high-performance character of modern Bentley’s of the 2000’s. The wonderfully balanced and soulful 6-litre power plant was originally only fitted to the high-speed Continental GT’s and Flying Spur’s but formed the basis of nearly every range topping Bentley from there after.
This endless source of momentum we knew could not last forever. With tougher emissions and Bentley’s (which is owned by the Volkswagen Group) aim of becoming more reliant of EV technology with its Beyond100 plan, the majestic twin-turbo 12 cylinder must be consigned to the history books when the last behemoth leaves Crewe early next year.
The automotive world were first introduced to the engine back in 2003 in the then brand new Continental GT. Now, unlike the infamous 6.75 litre Bentley/Rolls Royce V8 which has also has only recently cease to exist, the W12 was in constant development. By Bentley’s own admission, the 6-litre right now would make around 54% more torque than 20 years ago and around 25% less emissions thanks to turbo technology and more sophisticated engine management software becoming available and more widely developed.
The next phase of the Bentley engine line-up will be the further development of their twin-turbocharged V8 and all-new V6 technology while combining it with the advanced hybrid systems from their parent company Volkswagen. Bentley have said that the decision to end production was ”Our progressive journey towards sustainable luxury mobility means making changes to every area of Bentley Motors.” So to keep their share of the luxury car market, which is now a global and very lucrative market, they must adopt and adapt.
Although we will all mourn the loss of this engine and its endless wave of power, Bentley will be sending it off in true Bentley fashion with the limited-edition Batur. A 750BHP swan song to send the old girl off in style. As Bentley themselves put it in a press-release, ”20 years and more than 100,000 W12s later, the time has come to retire this now-iconic powertrain as we take strides towards electrification – but not without giving it the best send-off possible, with the most powerful version of the engine ever created”
So, on this day and on that fateful day in April of next year – let us celebrate the time we had and mourn the moments we will never experience with this legendary modern engine but look forward to a world it helped to create.
Our 2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed has made its way from the Bridge Classic Cars HQ here in Suffolk all the way up to Scotland with its excited new owner, Terry.
Terry won the stunning Bentley last week with his winning ticket 1630! We want to wish him many happy miles with this masterpiece in luxury and performance.
The Bridge Classic Cars team have been shooting our latest competition: the 203MPH, 600BHP 2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed. The absolute epitome of style and elegance married with pure power and performance.
Before anyone could take it out and drive it, it was fully checked over by the Bridge Classic Cars workshop team who have the car the green light to head up to The Hangar for filming.
As the 6-litre, twin-turbocharged W12 roared into life on the pad outside our secure storage facility, we all knew this was going to be an amazing shoot. From the first symphonious signs of life, the Bentley quietened down and become all the more civilised. The stunning anthracite paintwork danced underneath the summer sun from any angle, while its quilted beluga black leather gave the imposing long-legged GT car a cabin made for comfort as it made its way along the taxiway.
The 12-cylinder engine made its way along at little more than a whisper, gently pulling along at only a touch more than idle.
Molly was firmly behind the wheel and loving every moment. As the GT Speed made lap after lap of the filming location, you could feel it wanting to stretch its legs. Its inherent need to cover great distances, at wonderful speeds in supreme comfort is so ingrained in a car like the Continental GT. But, it’s also well-mannered and light to the touch with its controls, the linear acceleration (a characteristic of the twin-turbo W12) means that can be trusted and relied on to behave itself in a civilised everyday world.
And with all of that, we want you to experience the majesty that is the 2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed. That’s right, you could be the next owner of this tour-de-force of engineering, style and excellence. Head over to the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions right now and get your tickets for the 2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed.
Or, to check out the full gallery of the car and video take a look below:
Just arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ is this absolutely stunning 2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed.
The luxury GT car has come in for our various teams to look over, inspect, assess and report back any findings they have for the car. Once they have compiled their report, we will bring you an update very soon on the legendary Continental GT Speed.
The Continental GT Speed was the fastest and most powerful option that could be specified by Bentley for its original owner. The 6-litre twin-turbo W12 makes a shade over 600BHP with an earth shuddering amount of torque, which was able to push this Flying B all the way past the 200MPH mark.
The 1969 Bentley T1 which has been in with the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body team has now been completed!
What started as a pretty standard respray on the classic Bentley quickly evolved into repairing and perfecting some previous repairs to the car which did not have the car’s best interests at heart. So, the team got to work.
After stripping down the classic Bentley in our preparation area, the team discovered a huge amount of body filler had been used on the rear quarter panels of the car to regain the shapes needed for the panel. Chris, one of our technicians, spent multiple hours just getting rid of the layers of filler to expose the raw metal buried underneath. Then, as they moved forward on the car, the front driver’s wing gave up its secret. An enormous dent/crack in the metal itself had been hidden under thick layers of filler. Before the car could be repainted, this had to be addressed.
The team managed to source a replacement wing for the iconic car. This needed some finessing and repairs but was a better starting point than the original. With this now on the car and lined up, it was back over to the paint and body team to finesse and perfect the panels and lines of the car before heading into our in-house paint booth for its first coats of primer.
Several rounds of primer, minimal filler and sanding work were done over several weeks to get the glorious Bentley back into shape. Then, it was time for colour.
The paint team perfectly matched the original Sage Green colour of the car in our mixing shop before laying it carefully and precisely across the body as it would have been done when the car was originally built. Taking the same care and attention to detail, if not more, than her original builders to ensure this T1 looked perfect. Colour sanding, polishing, more sanding, more polishing. All necessary to give the deep richness needed for a colour as synonymous with a classic Bentley as Sage Green.
Then, the team began the meticulous and precise task of masking up the Bentley to have its signature Coach Line applied down the lengths of the car. With that final piece done and the car put back together, it will soon be time for her to head home.
So, we’ve put together a gallery to show the evolution of the project in the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body shop:
The iconic coach stripe which adorns the lengths of many classic Bentley’s has been applied to the 1969 Bentley T1 by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint team.
Chris, one of our painters, carefully measured and masked the coach lines along the T1. The whole car was then safely covered in order to lay down the correct vivid yellow stripe which runs underneath the brightwork.
The paint was then given enough time to cure in our in-house booth/oven before the car was moved into the preparation area to be finished and polished.
The 1969 Bentley T1 which is being worked on by the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body team, have been joined by the in-house trim team to work on getting the classic Bentley back together.
The trim team worked on refitting and renewing the boot carpets onto the upper part of the deck lid. Along with the carpet, the team have installed the boot seal onto the lip of the boot opening.
With this part of the work complete, the trim team took a couple of pieces of the interior of the Bentley up to the trim shop to work on. The kick panels are in need of repairing and then will be fit back into the car.
The windows in the 1969 Bentley T1 have been getting built back up and refit into the doors by the restoration team at Bridge Classic Cars.
With the car freshly out of paint, the team very carefully have begun the process of getting everything back onto the car.
The mechanisms, glass and brightwork have all been reattached in place and tested to make sure they’re perfectly aligned with no issues binding or grabbing.
The team in the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body shop has been working on refitting the trims to the 1969 Bentley T1 after its respray.
Whilst fitting the window retainers/sills, the team found that one was heavily corroded and damaged. So, the team made a new piece using the original as a template to work from and fit into the handmade classic car.
With this piece now done and fitted into the car, the team can carry on getting the 1969 Bentley T1 back together.
The 1969 Bentley T1 has been in the paint preparation area of the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop to have the latest round of primer work sanded back.
The car has had the final stage of primer sanding done by hand in order to get the surface in perfect condition for the full respray of the classic Bentley. Mauro, one of our technicians, carefully worked his way around the entire car making sure to get into every curve and recess of the body.
With this now complete, the car could be cleaned down ahead of heading into the spray booth.
The 1969 Bentley T1 has been moved from the Bridge Classic Cars body shop into the paint shop to begin its journey towards its full respray.
The team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working incredibly hard to carry out the rust repairs on this beautiful classic Bentley. With those now completed properly for the car, it was moved so our body shop could begin to prepare it for its appointment with the spray booth.
With the body prepared and cleaned down, our paint Chris wheeled the Bentley into position and began laying down the first coats of primer onto its newly reworked body. This layer will be used as a guide for the body shop technicians to see which areas need to be worked on to get the panels perfect before the full respray on the car.
The 1969 Bentley T1 currently in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ has had the first test fit of its new replacement front wing.
We managed to secure the only replacement front wing in the entire country for this car. This is a reproduction piece that Dave, our technician, has had to work on to get it roughly fitting onto the car. With it now in place hanging onto its mounts, the workshop can now see where it needs to be manipulated and reshaped in order to match up with the classic lines of the Bentley.
The original wing, as you may remember, was heavily damaged and after more inspection, it wasn’t salvageable to be reused on the project.
With this important point in the project, expect to see much more on the 1969 Bentley T1 very soon here on the Bridge Classic Cars news page.
The Bridge Classic Cars paint and body team have been working on the 1969 Bentley T1 before it heads into our restoration workshop for some body repairs.
The Bentley has been completely taken apart by the in-house teams and while the body is going into the workshop, other panels and pieces will be kept in the paint shop and prepared for their repaint. The paint and body team have also been carefully preparing the interior of the car for the workshop team like moving back carpets etc which will be close to the cutting and welding areas.
The paint and body team have turned their attentions to the doors and rear decklid to get them in the best shape possible in preparation for the body returning.
The Bridge Classic Cars body team have been working alongside our workshop technicians to get the 1969 Bentley T1 stripped down and ready to be taken back to bare metal.
The technicians have meticulously gone through every aspect of the car and carefully labelled and catalogued each piece that has come off the car.
All of this is so that the body team can begin to strip down the whole car and inspect it before it goes in for its full respray.
Bridge Classic Cars are award winning Classic Car Restoration and Maintenance specialists. Proud to be rated 5 stars on Google, Facebook and Trustpilot, you’re pride and joy is in safe hands with our expert Classic Car Technicians. Take a look at our awards here.
