Bentley EXP10 Speed 6 Concept - What It Really Means
Bentley's Show-Stopper, and the Chance it Has at Production
If it's possible to have stolen the 2015 Geneva Motor Show before the doors even opened, Bentley might have done it. The Bentley EXP10 Speed 6 concept, unveiled at the annual orgy of new metal that is Volkswagen Group Night (12 new production cars or concepts, plus a new Ducati this year) is precisely the sort of low-slung, high-performance two-seater that routinely grabs auto show headlines. But the EXP10 Speed 6 is more than just eye-candy: It's a genuine glimpse into the future of Bentley.
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And it's not just the styling, though the EXP10 Speed 6's tight, taut panels clearly show direction Bentley design chief Luc Donckerwolke intends pursuing. What's more important about this car is what lies underneath, and what it represents.
The EXP10 Speed 6 confirms two things we told you last year: First, that Bentley is seriously considering adding a fifth vehicle family to its model lineup. And second, that Bentley's next-generation Continental GT and Flying Spur will be moving to VW Group's MSB vehicle architecture.
Take a closer look at the EXP10 Speed 6. Notice how how far forward the front axle centerline is from the front door? That alone tells you this car is designed around MSB hardware. The front engine sits entirely behind the front axle centerline and not ahead of it as in the current Conti GT and Flying Spur, which share their basic platforms with the first-generation Volkswagen Phaeton.
A quick recap on MSB: Like VW's MQB (Golf, Audi A4, Passat, etc.) and MLB (Audi A8, Audi Q7, and the new Bentley Bentayga, etc. ), it's a highly flexible vehicle architecture. In VW-speak, MSB-M means mid-engine RWD or AWD, and will underpin the forthcoming Ferrari 458-fighting Porsche 960 as well as the next-gen Cayman/Boxster; MSB-H means rear-engine RWD or AWD, and will form the basis of the next 911; MSB-F means front engine RWD or AWD, and is designed to support Porsche's next-generation Panamera (plus a rumored Panamera Coupe) as well as the Continental and Flying Spur replacements.
The EXP10 Speed 6 shows how MSB will change the proportion of those cars. For the better.
As to the likelihood of a production version of the EXP10 Speed 6, Bentley sources will only say that a decision is a long way off. Bentley boss Wolfgang Dürheimer says he wants to add another vehicle to the Bentley family. A luxurious, two-seat sports car to tempt long-time Benz SL buyers makes a lot of sense, but Crewe's first priority is to successfully launch the Bentayga SUV, a vehicle that could increase Bentley worldwide sales by 50 percent.
And ultra-lux SUVs are hot: One senior Bentley insider confirmed the company is currently holding 4,500 purchase orders for the Bentayga - before a single production car has even been built. And the Bentayga - which itself will migrate to the MSB architecture when the next-generation car appears in 2023 - will be joined by rivals from Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, and Mercedes-Maybach by the end of the decade.
The growing mania for ultra-lux SUVs may therefore push back plans for a production version of the EXP10 Speed 6. Instead, say sources, a Bentayga Coupe might make more economic sense for Bentley. And that vehicle will almost certainly be built on the MSB architecture to give it the truly extravagant proportions it deserves.
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by cars. My father was a mechanic, and some of my earliest memories are of handing him wrenches as he worked to turn a succession of down-at-heel secondhand cars into reliable family transportation. Later, when I was about 12, I’d be allowed to back the Valiant station wagon out onto the street and drive it around to the front of the house to wash it. We had the cleanest Valiant in the world.
I got my driver’s license exactly three months after my 16th birthday in a Series II Land Rover, ex-Australian Army with no synchro on first or second and about a million miles on the clock. “Pass your test in that,” said Dad, “and you’ll be able to drive anything.” He was right. Nearly four decades later I’ve driven everything from a Bugatti Veyron to a Volvo 18-wheeler, on roads and tracks all over the world. Very few people get the opportunity to parlay their passion into a career. I’m one of those fortunate few.
I started editing my local car club magazine, partly because no-one else would do it, and partly because I’d sold my rally car to get the deposit for my first house, and wanted to stay involved in the sport. Then one day someone handed me a free local sports paper and said they might want car stuff in it. I rang the editor and to my surprise she said yes. There was no pay, but I did get press passes, which meant I got into the races for free. And meet real automotive journalists in the pressroom. And watch and learn.
It’s been a helluva ride ever since. I’ve written about everything from Formula 1 to Sprint Car racing; from new cars and trucks to wild street machines and multi-million dollar classics; from global industry trends to secondhand car dealers. I’ve done automotive TV shows and radio shows, and helped create automotive websites, iMags and mobile apps. I’ve been the editor-in-chief of leading automotive media brands in Australia, Great Britain, and the United States. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The longer I’m in this business the more astonished I am these fiendishly complicated devices we call automobiles get made at all, and how accomplished they have become at doing what they’re designed to do. I believe all new cars should be great, and I’m disappointed when they’re not. Over the years I’ve come to realize cars are the result of a complex interaction of people, politics and process, which is why they’re all different. And why they continue to fascinate me.Read More
