I once struck up a conversation with a gentleman in a pink seersucker suit who owned both a Maybach 57 and a 62. He had a 57S on order at the time as well. He mentioned offhand the mind-bending depreciation on his 62 and that it had lost about $140,000 in one year. “On the other hand, my Phantom has held up very well.” The all-new Grand Bentley is for that guy.

In Part 1, we talked about the incredible luxury that awaits the driver of an ‘09 Jaguar XJR. But the luxury is only part of the story. To really understand this car, you have to look at the bigger picture.

 

Jaguar, as a brand, has been struggling under the weight of a poor reputation for decades. For the most part, they earned this reputation. Since the mid 1980s, quality control had been severely lacking, and their cars were regularly plagued with electrical gremlins and persistent mechanical faults. Ford, when they bought the company in 1996, began a complete reworking of the manufacturing processes, and quality control increased dramatically. By 2002, their cars were showing evidence of that work, but the platforms they were based on were showing their age.

When the worsening economy leaves you nursing a bad transmission on a 12-year-old car with neither the funds to fix it or replace the car, it’s always difficult to drum up the appropriate amount of sympathy for a story begins with “$150,000 Bentley,” but we’re giving it a shot anyway.

According to The Sun, a London stockbroker lost his $150,000 Bentley Continental GT to the churning waters of the River Lee after a service technician lost control of the vehicle during a test drive. Apparently, the affluent owner had left his Bentley under the care of Scott Coleman’s Totally Dynamic body shop earlier that day for cosmetic repair. When one of the body shop’s employees prepared to “move” the Bentley, there was a catastrophic brake failure that wound up leaving the Bentley roof-deep in the North Enfield local waterway. The driver of the car managed to escape without harm, and Coleman himself seems nonplussed about the seemingly dubious nature of the routine “move,” explaining simply that insurance would probably cover it, and that the Bentley’s owner knew of the faulty brakes.

Impervious to the plight of the filthy middle class during the global automotive and economic crisis, Bentley Motors has announced they will be implementing a 5% price hike in the UK beginning in April of 2009. According to Bentley, the decision to increase the price was a direct result of the falling value of the European Sterling and as such will only apply to vehicles sold in the UK market. “We are reacting to the continued very low value of Sterling against the Euro,” said Stuart McCullough, Board Member For Sales & Marketing. “As a UK business with much of our component costs based in Euros, we have to address the fact that our costs have increased significantly given Sterling’s dramatic decline.”

Celebrating its third birthday since its initially arrival to the Bentley family, the Bentley GTC emerges in 2009 with quite a growth spurt underneath the hood. Powered by Bentley’s twin-turbocharged 6.0L W12 engine, the Continental GTC Speed now puts out an astounding 600 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. Capable of reaching 200 mph with the top up, 195 mph top down, the GTC Speed makes the hearty sprint from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds, and 0-100 mph in another 10.6 seconds.

Aesthetically, it still looks ghastly with the top up, but at least with the upgrades Bentley installed under the hood, you’ll probably be travelling too fast for anyone to notice.

Full gallery/press release after the jump

Apparently impervious to the tumultuous economy, Bentley has unveiled their newest addition to their luxurious line-up, the Bentley Azure T. Officially scheduled to make its inaugural debut at the LA Auto show next week, Bentley apparently decided to drop the curtain a little early. Intended to join the royal Bentley family as the super high performance cousin, the Bentley Azure T features a twin-turbo V8 capable of producing 500-horsepower and 450 pounds-feet of torque. Available in 42 different exterior colors and 25 distinct interior hides, the Azure T comes standard equipped with 20-inch bright-finish alloy wheels and a fully-automated retractable hood. Wisely assuming their target demographic probably has produced several platinum-selling rap albums yet still lives in the same neighborhood he grew up in, Bentley has also ensured that the Azure T is impervious to assault from mischievous kids by equipping it with a fully retractable hood ornament.

Full gallery after the jump

Recently, the newest member of the Bentley family to receive the Bentley’s Speed upgrade was captured by the aptly named photographers at Motor Authority cruising the Nurburgring in Germany. Pictured above, the new Continental GTC Speed doesn’t appear to be sporting any noticeably different design components, but we’ve been assured the real treat is under the hood. In keeping with the Speed tradition, the Continental GTC’s twin-turbocharged 6.0L W12 engine will get a serious performance boost for its Speed model, replete with a redesigned crankcase, faster cam sensor, and a healthy pressure boost the turbos. In terms of real-road performance, that translates to a performance bump of 602-horsepower, 553 lb-ft of torque, and the ability to crank from 0-60mph in under 5 seconds.

Full gallery after the jump

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward claims ownership of some pretty impressive whips – thanks in part to is status as the Super Bowl XL MVP. Pictured above relaxing in front of his black Cadillac Escalade, Hines notes the chromed-out SUV was a part of the MVP package – replete with MVP badging on on the hubcaps and interior speaker casings. Hines’ two other rides, a Range Rover DUB Edition and black Bentley Continental GT, are his personal babies he purchased himself. “I’m a car a fanatic,” Hines admitted, “[I have been] ever since I was a child. I even got my son a little Dub truck. It’s in all males I guess.” Careful to set himself apart from other wealthy scourges of humanity such as the distinguished Terrell Owens, Hines went on to explain that his high-end rides aren’t intended to be superfulous status symbols, but rather personal rewards for years of hard work. “I like them,” Hines explains, “I’m not doing it to be flashy. I get enjoyment out of it. Each and every day that I wake up, I go out and drive in something nice. Who ever would have thought that a kid from Forest Park, Georgia, would have a Bentley? It’s a blessing for me. With all the hard work that I put into my profession, that’s my reward; that’s my gift to myself.”

Check out Hines Ward’s garage after the jump

Former running back for the Cincinnati Bengals, traded this season to the Detroit Lions, Rudi Johnson has been featured in lifestyle mags everywhere sporting an impressive collection of luxury rides. Pictured above in the driveway of his home, surrounded by his babies, Johnson’s garage plays home to a 2006 Land Rover Range Rover, a 2004 Mercedes-Benz CL 55 AMG, a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, and a 2006 Bentley Arnage.

A little excessive for a guy who sat out last season on injured reserve, Johnson admits his collection is a throwback to the days when his family was too poor to afford anything but public transportation. Personally, he could own a Bugatti Veyron fueled on the tears of children for all I care, I’m more concerned with his recent lackluster performance failing to live up to the hype created by his three consecutive 1200yd seasons. I’ll spare you my fantasy football rant.

View Rudi Johnson’s rides after the jump