What Changed for 2009:

• All-new model

Overview
Bentley Motors is an established British handcrafted luxury automobile manufacturer tracing its roots back nearly one century. Founded by W.O. Bentley in 1919, the company has gone through many changes over the decades, but it has always retained its essence of an exclusive automaker for those demanding the finest upscale vehicles, customized to their owner’s wishes. Bentley also produces racing cars, winning on the racetrack as recently as 2003 at Le Mans. In 1998, Volkswagen purchased ownership in Bentley.

The Brooklands was first introduced in 1992 as a full-size, 4-door luxury sedan powered by Bentley’s venerable 6.8-liter 8-cylinder powerplant and a 4-speed automatic transmission. Visually, the Brooklands retained the traditional Bentley interior and exterior cues, including the waterfall grille and dual headlamps. The first-generation model was retired in 1998 and was not immediately replaced by a successor. In 2007, at the Geneva Auto Show, Bentley resurrected the Brooklands nameplate with the introduction of a sporty, 2-door 4-passenger coupé, aptly named the Brooklands Coupé.

Model Lineup
The 2009 Bentley Brooklands is available as a single model with sporty design features. Built on the 2-door Bentley Azure platform, the convertible mechanicals of the Azure are replaced at the factory by a hand-welded roof that seamlessly blends into the bodywork to stiffen the chassis. Differentiating its enthusiast-oriented nature, the luxury coupé receives a dark-tint stainless grille in place of the Azure’s bright grille and side gills (“lower front wing vents”) at the bottom of the front quarter panels. Generous 20-inch aluminum alloy wheels are standard and the fuel-filler cap is enhanced to the Bentley “jewel” design.

With a base price of more than one-third of a million dollars—and a production run of just 550 vehicles—the Bentley Brooklands will be very exclusive. It’s also expected, by its demanding buyers, to be very luxurious. All Brooklands Coupé models are fitted with a leather interior (extending even to the headliner) over wool carpets. Genuine wood and stainless steel accent the cabin. Heated front and rear seats are standard, as is the multi-zone climate control with a dehumidifier and residual heat to keep the cabin warm after the engine is shut off. All accessories are power-operated, and the audio system includes a 6-disc CD changer, Bluetooth-compatible phone connection, and standard navigation system. Options on the Brooklands include special paint and hides, shades for the side and rear windows, a cocktail compartment, rear-seat bottle coolers, and a DVD entertainment system. The Brooklands may also be optioned with the Sports Combination Level 1 or Level 2 package. The Level 1 includes 20-inch, 5-spoke wheels and a dark-tint matrix to the bumpers. The Level 2 package adds diamond-quilted hides to the seat facings, steering wheel, headlining and head restraints.

Powertrain
All 2009 Bentley Brooklands Coupé models feature a twin-turbocharged, 6.8-liter V-8 engine. While it is the same engine shared with the Bentley Azure and Arnage, it has been tuned for even more horsepower in the Brooklands—an impressive 530 hp and 774 lb.-ft. of torque. Connected to a 6-speed automatic gearbox with a semi-automatic and sports function, it is powerful enough to accelerate the Brooklands to 60 mph in 5 seconds, towards a top speed of 184 mph, the automaker claims. The 2009 Bentley Brooklands Coupé earned fuel-economy ratings of 10 mpg city/14 mpg highway from the EPA.

The double-wishbone suspension is independent in both the front and the rear and specifically tuned for a sporty ride. Computers control the adaptive electro-hydraulic damping system, ride height control, and automatic load leveling. The standard brakes are “micro-alloy” ventilated iron discs on all four corners, while the optional brakes are vented and drilled ceramic discs for even more resistance to heat and an extended service life, the automaker says. Both brake systems come with standard anti-lock (ABS) control.

Safety
The 2009 Bentley Brooklands features an all-steel monocoque body shell with anti-intrusion door beams to protect occupants. Driver and front passenger seats are of an anti-submarine design and include safety belts with pre-tensioners. Dual frontal air bags, for driver and passenger, include side-impact air bags (with thorax protection) to provide wraparound passive safety. Curtain air bags extend to the rear occupants. In addition to the standard ABS, the vehicle is fitted with hydraulic brake assist, ASR traction control, an electronic stability program (ESP), and electronic brake-pressure distribution.

As of this writing, there are no plans by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to crash-test the 2009 Bentley Brooklands Coupé.

Technology
Available as an option on the 2009 Bentley Brooklands Coupé is a carbon-ceramic brake package to replace the standard cast-iron brakes. Carbon-ceramic brakes are often used in racing vehicles, as the material is much more tolerable to high temperatures. (Disc brakes turn kinetic energy into heat when they slow or stop a vehicle.) Because the Brooklands is so large and heavy, Bentley has fitted it with oversized 14-inch drilled and ventilated ceramic rotors—reportedly some of the biggest in the world—and multi-piston calipers. Matched to the Bosch 5.7 stability control with ABS, the ceramic brake page offers additional stopping power—at an option cost of $29,270.