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Bentley previews new cabrio

Luxurious new Bentley Mulsanne Convertible on the way.


We get a drawing, the people with deep pockets at Pebble Beach get a preview, Bentley dips its toe in the water with a new Mulsanne based rag-top to replace the Azure.

Exterior
The sketches look great, but they always do, whether the big saloon's proportions will scale to a convertible remains to be seen, but the bold rear arches, combined with a more rakish rear, do suggest it could bring the fight to the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé very convincingly indeed.

Interior
It's a Bentley, so in its large four-seat cabin it'll have acres of finely stitched leather, mirror-finished wood veneers and tactile chrome controls. There'll be a few obvious Volkswagen bits too, which, given it'll likely command a price tag of £300,000 plus, will grate a bit. Just a bit mind.

Mechanicals
Nothing's been said, but no reason to expect Bentley using anything but the same 6.75-litre turbocharged V8 from the saloon here. So that means 512hp and enough torque to make six of the eight gears in the automatic transmission all but redundant.

Anything else?
Nothing is official yet, but it's pretty much a given that Bentley will produce this car. Bentley's Chairman and Chief Executive Wolfgang Dürheimer said: "The Convertible Concept will extend the appeal of the Mulsanne family, while enhancing the profile of the Bentley Brand, particularly in new and emerging markets." Read China there, where Bentley dealers are doing good business.

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Published on August 21, 2012