A worthy successor to the famed Continental T was unveiled in Geneva; say hello to the Bentley Brooklands.

The all-new coupé has striking proportions and an exclusive pedigree, certain to be upheld by the fact that only 550 examples will be produced. Marking the company's return to the luxury coupé market, the Brooklands is put forward as a four-seat, grand tourer that harks back to the famous 'Bentley Boy' exploits of the 1920s, when Bentley raced on the famous Brooklands circuit in Surrey.

Bentley's Director of Styling, Dirk van Braeckel, designed the range-topping vehicle drawing heavily on the company's heritage. The historical lineage is obvious in the long bonnet, short front overhang and long rear overhang; while a low roofline, steeply raked front and rear screens and side glass areas devoid of B-pillars combine to transform the classic lines into a sportier, contemporary form - van Braeckel's design objective. Massive 20-inch wheels denote the powerful and robust character of the new model and help fill the wheelarches.

Sporting design cues are matched by the prodigious performance of Bentley's 6.75-litre V8 engine, massaged to produce 530bhp and a staggering 774lb.ft of torque, making it the most powerful V8 engine the company has ever produced.

Initially launched in the Bentley S2 saloon in 1959, the massive V8 originally had a 6.23-litre capacity and produced its maximum torque at low engine speeds - a now legendary Bentley characteristic. The V8 engine saw a step-change in performance and refinement, growing in capacity and introducing at first one, and eventually twin turbochargers before finally culminating in the 2007 model year Arnage. This was the starting point for the new Bentley Brooklands.

A re-profiled camshaft and new, low-inertia turbochargers (which operate with greater efficiency at lower engine speeds) resulted in reduced turbo lag and extended the power potential of the V8 in the Arnage to 500bhp and 738lb.ft of torque.

Further component optimisation and engine calibration has now resulted in the astounding power and torque levels found in the Brooklands coupé. Nearly as shocking is the fact that Bentley engineers have managed to extract this power from a nearly 50-year-old hand-assembled powerplant.

As with the latest Arnage, the V8 engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with strengthened casing, a locking torque converter and an ESP system to keep all that power and weight under control. A semi-automatic function allows manual gear selection for greater driver involvement.

Each Brooklands coupé will be hand-assembled, employing traditional coach-building techniques with classic wood veneer and fine leather hides for which Bentley is renowned. Deliveries of the car are expected to start in the first half of 2008 and pricing has not been announced. But as the old adage goes - if you have to ask...

Eric Gallina - 12 Mar 2007