Bentley announced today that the 2011 Bentley Mulsanne will start at $285,000 when deliveries to the United States start in the fall of 2010. That's just a start, of course, since that figure doesn't include destination or the additional $26K+ in sales tax you'll owe if you buy one in Pebble Beach, California, where the Mulsanne debuted in August.
Mulsanne buyers will naturally have the chance to bespoke the big sedan to their heart's content, but for the more conventional, there will be 114 exterior paint options, 21 hues of carpeting, 9 wood veneers and 21 leather hides, "all of which will be tanned using a decades-old process to ensure this future classic never loses its scent."
The Mulsanne's power plant has an old-world quality of its own, as it's a revised version of the 6.75-liter V8 used in the passing Arnage. Bentley assures us it has been "comprehensively reengineered," however, and it now uses both cylinder deactivation and variable valve timing technology. Also, 505 horsepower and 752 pound-feet of torque shouldn't hurt, and there's now an eight-speed automatic -- two more forward gears than the Arnage ever had.
Production of the 2011 Mulsanne begins next spring at the company's Crewe, UK, plant.
hondacura4 says:
04:56 PM, 12/ 1/09
I think you meant 505 horsepower and 752 lbs of torque.
roar02ram says:
06:01 PM, 12/ 1/09
Definitely warming to the big-headlight look...it's amazing how this car looks modern and different from its predecessor yet instantly recognizable. Now THAT'S good styling!
cwc1 says:
06:55 PM, 12/ 1/09
HondaAccura, not sure what you mean - torque is typically expressed either in foot-pounds, or pound-feet.
bimmerjay says:
09:48 PM, 12/ 1/09
Does that price include any jars of Grey Poupon?
dougtheeng says:
06:17 AM, 12/ 2/09
Those little side lights are awful. They look like a photoshop add on.