Bentley Continental GT V8 S Revealed Ahead of Frankfurt

With the recent announcement that Bentley will diversify its range in 2016 with the arrival of an SUV Bentley enthousiasts who love the tradition of the brand will be happy to hear that a more traditional Bentley will make its debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.

This Bentley Continental GT V-8 S is the sports version of the Continental and it will be sold in both coupe and convertible shape when it’s launch during 2014. As you’d expect for an“S” model, there are some exterior styling changes which include a new front splitter and extensions to the side sills. This Continental GT gets 20-inch alloys and a black radiator grille that’s set off tastefully by a chrome divider. At the rear there’s a diffuser and a “figure of 8″exhaust system. Bentley has also lowered the car by 10mm and added stiffer bushes for better handling.

This is also a more powerful machine so the standard car’s 4.0 litre V-8 has been reworked to produce 521bhp and torque has been increased to 502 lb-ft.These increases lead to a top speed of 192mph, up 4mph over the standard car, and 0-62mph time of 4.3 sec, which is 3 tenths quicker. Although there’s added performance, the CO2 and economy figures remain the same at 246g/km and 26.8mpg. Inside owners will get a wide selection of different trims to choose between and the deepest pockets could opt for the “Mulliner Driving Specification” that gives drilled alloy foot pedals and diamond-quilted leather upholstery.

Bentley Continental V8 S

We don’t have prices as yet but we’re expecting the coupe to come in at £138,000 and the convertible to cost £153,000. We’ll have more details for you when the Frankfurt Motor Show gets underway.

from EUROCARBLOG

Which wines to buy this autumn - by Bonhams wine specialist Richard Harvey

The Bonhams sale of Fine & Rare Wines on 12th September includes a wide selection of wines as well as many affordable cases. Bonhams wine specialist Richard Harvey M.W. advises new collectors what to keep an eye on to start building up a valuable collection...

The first place to start a wine collection is with Bordeaux.

The first place to start a wine collection is with Bordeaux: by far the largest fine wine producing region in the world.  But Bordeaux, due to the large area of vineyards, is also a source of excellent value wines, both red and white.  From the cellar of a distinguished London club comes Les Pagodes de Cos 1998 – this is the second wine of the renowned second growth Chateau Cos d’Estournel and with a low estimate of £250 a case. This is perhaps a third of the price you would pay for the ‘grand vin’ Chateau Bernadotte 2003, a property in the same ownership as another second growth, Chateau Pichon Lalande, and offered with a low estimate of just £110 a case.

The same club is also offering several other classed growth Bordeaux still lying under Bond, very useful for export, such as Chateau Leoville Barton 2001 (estimate £400-480 a dozen), Ducru-Beaucaillou 2002 (£600-700 a dozen), Lynch-Moussas 2003 (£400-480 for two dozen) and La Lagune 2003 (£450-550 for two dozen).

Why the Rhone valley offers great value

While production of Burgundy is so small that prices of top wines tend to be high, by contrast the Rhone valley offers great value. A private collection in the sale contains a very good range, particularly from top producer Paul Jaboulet Aine, such as Hermitage, La Chapelle 2001 (£380-450 a case) and 2005 (£350-420 a case) and Crozes-Hermitage, Domaine de Thalabert, along with many domains from Chateauneuf-du-Pape. For the ultimate experience of Rhone wines, we are also offering magnums of Jaboulet’s Hermitage, La Chapelle 1978 at £8,000-9,500 for six!  These have come from the cellar of a well-known college.

For those who still enjoy a glass of Port at the end of a meal, we have on offer a great selection from an Oxford college – Warre 1977 at £380-450 and Graham 1994 at £420-500 a case.  Port has not been targeted by speculators so remains very good value for mature, ready-to-drink wines.

All recommendet wines will be for sale on September 12. They can be also found in the Classic Driver Market Place.

About Richard Harvey M.W:

Richard Harvey grew up in Italy, where the seeds of his subsequent love of food and wine were sown. He joined Prue Leith's catering business in 1972 and in 1975 was appointed to run the Grant's of St James's School of Wine. In 1982 he qualified as a Master of Wine and set up his own business in Dorset, while continuing to work with Leith's. He was responsible for the opening of La Maison du Vin in France in 1994 and, in 1997, he joined Bonhams as a consultant, where he is now Global Head of Wine. Bonhams holds highly successful sales on both sides of the Atlantic; five to six a year in London, six to eight in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and two in Hong Kong.

RED

DD Classics: Kew applause

Despite being open for little more than a year, DD Classics’ London showroom not only houses an eclectic range of collector cars, but also more than 40 years of market experience in the form of owner Daniel Donovan…

The spacious, Art Deco-style showroom in the fashionable Kew district of the Capital is in an ideal location for the more discreet buyer. More often than not, it’ll be Donovan himself who welcomes you; his experience in the industry ranges from owning Straight Eight (the Bentley and Rolls-Royce specialist) for 30 years, to helping set up the Hexagon Classics operation more recently.

Diverse disposition

Donovan’s wide knowledge of the industry is reflected in the diversity of the cars in his showroom. During our visit, a cute yellow Vignale Gamine is towered over by a late-shape Phantom, while a Renault 5 Turbo rubs door handles with a thoroughly convincing Testa Rossa recreation. There's even a unique pre-War Jaguar prototype which we can’t help but admire in close detail.

Alongside car sales, DD Classics also has plenty of on-site space to take care of mechanical repairs and paintwork restoration.

Photos by Jan Baedeker

You can find the current stock of DD Classics in the Classic Driver Market.