Bentley Havana: due in 2008
CAR Online today brings you an sneak preview of Bentley’s new flagship coupe. Tipped to be called Havana, it’s the ultimate in conspicuous consumption, with a price in excess of £200,000, a V8 engine serving up enough torque to make the earth spin backwards and the most sumptuous interior this side of a sultan’s palace. The Havana is expected at spring 2007 Geneva motor show, with sales following in 2008. It’s another indication of Bentley’s stunning transformation, from Brit also ran selling 2000 cars a year to a strong luxury player shifting five times that amount. For more on Bentley’s strategy, read the interview with boss Franz-Josef Paefgen in the December issue of CAR Magazine.
Bentley Havana: the lowdown
The Havana is a fixed-head version of the Azure 2+2-seat convertible. Although our spy couldn’t bag the front end, it’s virtually indistinguishable from the £222,650 drop top, with its twin circular lamps and mesh-filled grille as big as a barn. Measuring around 5.4m-long and weighing around 2.5 tonnes, the old-school Havana needs a big lump to offer effortless performance. And it gets one. The Azure’s 6.75-litre twin-turbo V8 serves up 450bhp and an immense 645lb ft of torque, enough to waft the barge to 62mph from standstill in a hot hatch-beating 6.0sec or so. Top speed will be limited to 155mph, a speed that can be achieved in serene comfort.