Diecast Bentley
Since their inception in 1919, Bentley has been the maker of some of the finest automobiles in the world. Based in England, Bentley struggled with being under funded until it was purchased by Rolls-Royce in the 1930's. Unfortunately for many years after, very few Bentley cars were produced and most were just re-badged Rolls-Royce cars.
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While a few models had been produced over the years, it really wasn't until the early 1980's that Bentley finally produced a quality car of its own. The Bentley Mulsanne was introduced in 1980 and continued in production for 12 years until 1992. The Mulsanne was built with a Rolls-Royce V8 engine and a 3 speed automatic transmission. A turbocharged version and a sportier version were also produced to add a little variety to the lineup. In total, less than 2000 Bentley Mulsanne's were ever produced, but this model marked a new page in the history of Bentley.
Following the Mulsanne, the Bentley Brooklands was introduced to fill the gap in the full-size, high-performance luxury sedan market. The Brooklands was similar in style to the Mulsanne and was introduced in 1992, becoming Bentley's flagship model, equipped with V-8 engine and 4 speed automatic transmission. The Brooklands continued in production until 1998, around the same time that Bentley saw significant change. In 1998 the company was purchased by Volkswagen.
The Brooklands was replaced by the Bentley Arnage starting for the 1998 model year. This new full-size luxury sedan continued the tradition of luxury automobiles. The Arnage is powered by a twin turbo BMW V8 engine that produces 350hp and either a 4 or 5 speed automatic transmission. The Bentley will cease building the Arnage in 2009.
One of the more successful models ever produced by Bentley, the Continental has been produced off and on since the 1950's. Today's Bentley GT, which is a 2 door coupe is powered by a huge, W12 engine that produces 552 hp, while a convertible version is available, named the Bentley Continental GTC. The current Bentley Continental, which was released in 2003 carries many of the same components as the discontinued Volkswagen Phaeton. The Bentley Continental Flying Spur is a 4 door version which has experienced significant sales volumes, relative to other models. The Bentley Continental is unique as it's built in a four-wheel drive configuration and currently holds the record for highest speed on ice. A convertible version of the Bentley Continental is also available called the Bentley Continental GTC.
If driving with the top down in ultimate luxury is more your style, you might like the Bentley Azure. Released in 1995, it was built for 8 years, until 2003. The first version came with a V8 engine and weighed over 5000 pounds. The engine produced over 400hp and could go 0-60mph in just 6.1 seconds, which was impressive given it's size and weight. A new version was built in 2006 and based on the Arnage platform now featured a 450hp turbocharged V8 engine which could go 0-60 in just 5.6 seconds. Unfortunately gas mileage wasn't much of a consideration when building the Azure as gas mileage was only 9 miles per gallon!
For collectors of fine diecast automobiles, a collection is not complete without at least one diecast Bentley.
