Boat International - July 2018

http://www.boatinternational.com | July 2018

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

O

ne of my favourite contemporary yacht designers is Nigel

Irens,notonlybecausehehappenstobeafriendbutbecause

hebuildsboatsthatareasbeautifulastheyareeicient.

Manypeoplearehavingsecondthoughtsabouttheviabilityof

massivegas-guzzling,toxin-producinginternalcombustionmotors.

Modern technology has proved that – aside from adopting electric

power–the“optimisation”offossil-fuelledenginescanprovidea

decentbalanceofperformance,economyandreducedemissions.

Asfarassuperyachtsgo,it’sanareathat’sstillbeingexplored–but

intheautomobileworld,thesenseofmakingsmall(er)engineswith

greater“go”hasalreadybecomewellestablished.

Bentley’slatesttakeonitsBentaygasuperluxurySUVisacasein

point. When the car first went on sale two years ago, it came with

asingleengineoptionintheformofthemighty

six-litre twin turbocharged W12 engine that punches

outanoutrageous600hpandcancatapult“the

world ’s fastest SUV” to 60mph in a little more than

foursecondsandsenditontoamaximumspeedof

187mph.ThefactthattheBentaygaweighsroughly

2.5tonnesmight,intheory,justifytheuseofsuch

avastpowerplant–butitwasobviousfromthestart

that the car would not be significantly diminished if

itwerefittedwithasmallerbutmoreeicientengine.

Bentley duly took the plunge last year and ofered it with an

Audi-derived diesel – the first (and probably last) diesel engine in the

marque’s history. It resulted in vastly improved fuel economy and

perfectly good performance, giving a top speed of 168mph.

What the diesel Bentayga lacks, however, is that particular

combination of sporting performance and refinement for which

Bentley has always been known – a fact that has now been addressed

with the obvious solution of making the Bentayga available with

the superb V8 engine used in models such as the Continental GT,

Mulsanne and Flying Spur.

And guess what? Lopping of four cylinders, reducing cylinder

capacity by two litres and coping with a “mere” 542hp means the V8

petrol Bentayga loses just 7mph of the W12’s top speed – and, believe it

or not, is a whole lot more fun to drive, being markedly

lighter, notably sharper on the uptake, better

handling, even nicer sounding and more economical

(although it still won’t save the planet).

Some, of course, will continue to favour the W12

simply because it’s “the ultimate”, but most such

people will inhabit countries where petrol is cheaper

than water – and will probably never believe that

“less really can be more”.

bentleymotors.com

THE RISE AND RISE OF THE MAGNUM

Once the preserve of playboys and overly generous guests,

the magnum is back, with sales up 500 per cent in champagne

and wine. So why the renewed interest and what should you

invest in? We asked the experts from Clos19, Bollinger and

EXCLUSIVELY ONLINEArmand de Brignac to weigh in. boaint.com/magnums

Lopping off four

cylinders loses just

7mph off the top

speed – and is

a whole lot more

fun to drive

ENGINE4-litre, twin

turbocharged,V8petrol

TOP SPEED180mph

PRICEFrom £136,200

(without optional extras)

Bentley

Bentayga V8

Clean machine

Simon de Burton finds the new pared-back

Bentley Bentayga V8 fun as well as frugal

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