24h Le Mans
First British manufacturer to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Bentley has never forgotten its great history with La Sarthe, notably with the new Mulsanne Speed. This luxury sedan also helps to evoke a common language between France and the U.K. on the history of the race.
In French, Mulsanne represents the slowest turn of the 24 Hours circuit, at the end of the Hunaudières straight. Drivers only have a few hundred meters to go from 300 to less than 100km/h for this right turn, after six kilometers at top speeds. In English, Mulsanne represents not only the turn (Mulsanne corner), but also the Hunaudières straight itself, under the name Mulsanne straight.
Bentley has definitively integrated its six victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the DNA of its road catalog, particularly with its utlra luxurious Mulsanne. Presented in 2009 at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elégance in California, it succeeded the Arnage (another nod to a famous turn at the 24 Hours). A very sporty version, called Mulsanne Speed, was unveiled recently at the Paris Motor Show. The extreme luxuriousness (leather seats with massaging backs, champagne bar, integrated computer for backseat passengers) comes with stunning performance level: the double-turbo 6.7 liter, V8 engine gains 25hp and climbs to 537hp, for astronomical torque of 1,100Nm, a top speed of 305km/h. Everything one wants in order to drive it on the Mulsanne straight, with the hope of seeing the Continental GT soon at Le Mans. Presented at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, it won its first victories on the track this year.
The Bentley Mulsanne Speed presented out for a night drive in this video shows an identically painted body to the one exhibited at Bentley's stand at the Paris Motor Show.
For more videos, go to lemans-tv.com.
Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
