Bentley Brooklands Coupé

Bentley does not build many cars like the Bentley Brooklands Coupé: a 2-door hardtop coupé with 6.75&nbsp, built from 2008 to 2011 in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. Its designer of record is Raul Pires.

The background

The Bentley Brooklands Coupé is a two-door hardtop coupé version of the Bentley Azure convertible (itself related to the Bentley Arnage). As a hand-assembled car made in very small numbers, employing traditional coach-building techniques and craftsmanship skills in wood and leather, the Brooklands Coupé is the true successor to the discontinued Bentley Continental R and T. Lifetime production was limited 550 cars, and deliveries started in the first half of 2008, with the car being discontinued three years later. The Brooklands is powered by a 6.75-litre Rolls-Royce twin-turbocharged OHV V8 engine, producing 530 hp (395 kW) and 1,050 N⋅m (774 lbf⋅ft), the highest torque ever developed by a production V8 engine using petrol at the time (there were diesel V8s producing more). It was featured on Top Gear in series 11 by Jeremy Clarkson, and due to the car having so much torque, one of the car's tires blew out during a powerslide after prolonged aggressive driving with its traction control off. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) in around 5.0 seconds, with a top speed in the region of 296 km/h (183.9 mph). The Brooklands offered an optional Carbon fibre-reinforced Silicon Carbide (C/SiC) ceramic composite braking system with 14-inch SGL Carbon brake discs (only with 20-inch wheels). The Brooklands features a pillarless design, with no B pillar between the front and rear side windows. When retired in 2011, it marked the end of the last Rolls-Royce Crewe platform, concluding the history of the old Rolls-Royce. Specifications:

maximum rated motive power: 530 hp (

The engineering

Under the skin sits 6.75&nbsp. Kerb weight is 2650.5 kg. The gearbox is a 6-speed ZF 6HP-32 automatic. The wheelbase is 3116 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

Where it sits

Where it sits in Bentley's history is not in doubt: the Bentley Continental R / Bentley Continental T came before it; it was built at Crewe (Bentley Crewe), United Kingdom. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Tesla Roadster, the Nissan 370Z, the Hyundai i30. Its Bentley stablemates include the Armoured Arnage and the Bentley 3 Litre.