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Bentley has a new Continental GT coming next month, but it won’t arrive with the gas-only 8- or 12-cylinder engines seen in years past. The fourth-generation car will get Bentley’s new Ultra Hybrid Performance powertrain, a plug-in hybrid system that delivers big power from a V8 combined with an electric motor.
Alfa Romeo is hitting the gas on limited-edition special-edition models of late, as the Italian outfit prepares to get rid of gas entirely. Last year we got the Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio 100th Anniversario editions celebrating the centenary of the four-leaf clover trims, then came Quadrifoglio Carbon Editions celebrating that resin weave, then came Tributo Italiano Editions lauding the home country. Now that the world is closer to the end of the internal combustion Quadrifoglio lineup, Alfa's launched the 2024 Giulia and 2024 Stelvio Quadrifoglio Super Sport models. The Giulia Quadrifoglio Super Sport is limited to 275 units worldwide, 72 coming to the U.S. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio Super Sport is even more limited, rolling out just 175 examples for the world, 52 slated for U.S. purchase.
With Bugatti having shown the Chiron successor to select clientele, a growing number of unconfirmed reports from reputable sources are filling in blanks with fascinating details. Let's start with the already confirmed fact that the new engine unit nestled at the back of the new carbon monocoque would trade the Chiron's quad-turbocharged W16 for a 90-degree V16.
SEVILLE, Spain – For decades, it was easy to admire Aston Martins from afar for their instantly recognizable styling and glorious noises from their eight- or 12-cylinder engines. From the driver's seat, however, past models have been a bit of a disappointment, with blatant parts sharing from the dark days of Ford ownership to shoddy workmanship and performance that wasn't as trustworthy or predictable as rivals.
Before Mercedes-AMG products were great to drive, they were great to listen to — that V8 rumble was an enthusiast balm's for lackluster dynamics. When AMG started making great driver's cars almost 20 years ago, it made its exhaust notes even better, then fed the addiction with increasing sales every year. Now buyers can't quit the drug: Ever since AMG put a four-cylinder PHEV powertrain in the latest C 63 and E 63, compliments on the power and performance of both cars are drowned beneath indictments of excess weight and insufficient thrills. Last August, we heard rumor that Mercedes was contemplating a V8 return for the AMG C 63 and E 63 variants. Two weeks later, Mercedes-AMG's CEO personally scotched the scuttlebutt. However, it appears the love child of both sedans, the AMG CLE 63, will get a V8. That's the word from Autocar, which says it got the info from «senior officials at the division’s Mercedes-Benz parent company.»
Porsche has a new, eye-wateringly expensive track package for the 718 Cayman GT4 RS. As if the 493-horsepower track-day special wasn't already nutty enough, this new package was put together based on the kit that was fitted to the car that carved more than six seconds off the stock GT4 RS's 'Ring time in the hands of Porsche pro driver Jörg Bergmeister.
Bentley might still be bidding its W12 engine goodbye with various swansong vehicles, but now it’s the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8’s turn to say adieu. At least in the Continental and Flying Spur models – the Bentayga will continue on with this powertrain for an unspecified amount of time.
The twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12 engine composed the soundtrack to dreams around the world once it found a home in the Bentley Continental GT, which entered a production in 2003. That engine will sing its final encore in the Bentley Batur Convertible before the curtain comes down, tuned to its highest-ever output of 739 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. The Englanders in Crewe have lifted the hood on the successor, without providing all the details. What we know for now is that the powerplant debuting this summer is called the Ultra Performance Hybrid, a V8 PHEV with «more than 750 PS combined output» and an all-electric range of 50 miles on the WLTP cycle.