Bentley grunt for top VW Phaeton

HIPAD · 30th March 2003, 18:37

According to Autocar (19 March)
"VW plans to join the super-quick limo club by shoehorning the Bentley Continental GT's twin turbo W12 into a racy R version of the Phaeton.
With 600bhp version of the Bentley's 6.0-liter engine - 56bhp up on the British car - the Phaeton would have a 100bhp advantage over even Merc's mighty S600.
This sort of grunt could see the VW sprint to 60 in 5.0 sec and on to 200mph.
Likely to be badged R60, the fastest Phaeton is due to be unveiled in the autumn and cost around 80,000.
Other versions of VW's first luxury car go on sale in the UK in July.
In September VW will announce another Phaeton variant - a long wheelbase version. With 120mm more rear seat room, it's aimed at the USA and Middle East."

At the moment all German car companies are preparing "super quick limos": Mercedes have the S55, the S600, and the S65. Audi is preparing an RS8 likely to produce close to 600bhp. VW has now joined the race of the "power war". The only company missing here is our beloved BMW.
In the past BMW denied any rumors of developing a high performance version of the 7-seiries (hopefully Alpina has something other than the B7), but I cannot see why would they leave their competitors advance in this segment. BMW has always been known to offer the best in high performance
cars.

kevin034 · 30th March 2003, 18:51

More power ... good.

More acceleration ... good.

More top speed ... good.

More weight? Yes ... this is no good.

Also ... has anyone investigated into the braking consistency and distance of these new super sedans? A 2+ ton sedan going down the road is going to need pretty good brakes.

Finality · 30th March 2003, 19:16

Not too sure about the rest but the new S has brake by wire which detects how fast you want to brake and applies the correct amount of pressure. Soooooo basically touching the brake pedal wont send you flying through the windscreen whereas if you stamp the pedal it will go into full effect

S Class brakes are very good I tested them myself from numberous high speed stops

M4ever · 30th March 2003, 19:44

Phaeton R60? Where is this going to end?
At one point somebody will have to build rails for those ultra-powered limos

Bet regards
Alex

kevin034 · 30th March 2003, 20:25

That'll sure redefine the meaning of "cornering like it's on rails".

Perhaps it's the only way a MB or VW can corner like a BMW.

Hey, it's such an easy shot, sorry, I just had to take it.

SUPRA · 31st March 2003, 10:55

Volvo S60R
VW Phaeton R60

dNA3D · 31st March 2003, 11:58

I'd go for the RS8... more driver oriented. A Phaeton R60??? Too heavy. Heck it can't even break 5 seconds to 100... but that's probably because of its AWD system.

Millie Miglia · 31st March 2003, 13:45

That's the problem with cars in the VW group. They share EVERYTING! It's like a family sharing underwear. My god! A VW with the Bentley engine, Audi with a Lamborghini's engine.....what next??? A Seat with the W18 engine from the Bugatti Veyron....or wait, a Skoda version of the Audi A8....No, no, no...THIS IS WRONG! Parts sharing can only go so far! Listen up VW!

Millie

dNA3D · 31st March 2003, 14:44

Quote:

Originally posted by Millie Miglia
That's the problem with cars in the VW group. They share EVERYTING! It's like a family sharing underwear. My god! A VW with the Bentley engine, Audi with a Lamborghini's engine.....what next??? A Seat with the W18 engine from the Bugatti Veyron....or wait, a Skoda version of the Audi A8....No, no, no...THIS IS WRONG! Parts sharing can only go so far! Listen up VW!

Well, as long as those parts they share are of a high standard - and they are - I don't have anything against it. But I mean, if the Maybach gets switchgear from a Dodge Neon, well, has some maaajoor issues.

Millie Miglia · 31st March 2003, 15:38

Quote:

Originally posted by dNA3D
Well, as long as those parts they share are of a high standard - and they are - I don't have anything against it. But I mean, if the Maybach gets switchgear from a Dodge Neon, well, has some maaajoor issues.

I'm not against parts sharing but there is a limit to what I think so many different brands should share. Suspension components - OK, steering system - OK...Parts which cannot be seen, that's fine as long as they're tuned to suit the character/ image of the different brands. But they've crossed the line when they share engines and so many visible components. Good example would be the Bentley Continental Gt. It shares the W12 engine, switches and many other components from the VW Phaeton which I think is unacceptable. For premium brands such as Bentley, Audi, Lamborghini and Bugatti sharing major components such as engine with mainstream brands like VW, Seat and Skoda is unacceptable.

VW and Audi is now paying the price for its 'over extensive' parts strategy. People are getting smarter and buying cheaper cars from Seat and Skoda because they know that they basically have the same suspension, engine, etc. (Example: VW Golf = Audi A3 = Seat Toledo/Leon = Skoda Octavia)

Millie