Bentley To Drink the Black Stuff

You might remember seeing the Bentley Supersports at the Geneva Motor Show a few weeks back, which, despite being the fastest Bentley to date, was also the greenest.

This is because the Supersports can run on tree-hugging bioethanol as well as good old unleaded. Bioethanol produces less CO2 than regular fuels and is renewable due to the fact it can be made from crops such as sugar cane and corn.

Other manufacturers have produced similar vehicles, such as the Lotus Exige Tri-Fuel and the Volvo FlexFuel range. It is also a popular fuel in parts of South America.

There are debates about the potential of this fuel due to the large amount of arable land required to farm the crops, but there is one thing for sure: it makes things go very fast! Bioethanol, due to some complicated science and engineering, produces more BHP than Petrol and propels the SS to over 200mph.

Also, reports now suggest that Bentley is working on putting an oil burner in its Arnage super saloon. The Arnage is well known for its ultimate luxury, classic looks, and monumental power output from its V8. However, emissions laws will make these engines obsolete as the EU and America introduce stricter rules. The immense torque offered by big diesel engines and advancements in particulate filters means Bentley should be able to maintain its lightspeed performance without violating regulations.

The engines will most likely come from Audi, which has developed a reputation for rapid diesels; they even race at Le Mans with a diesel-powered race car. The range-topping Q7’s diesel engine is the most likely candidate for the Bentley Arnage. The 500bhp V12 TDI has 738 lb-ft of torque and could be developed into an even more powerful version, should you need your internal organs re-arranged.

Is this a bad thing? I don’t think so; it’s just progress, and as long as Bentley continues its tradition of going sideways in a cloud of tyre smoke, then I’m all for it.