Dirk van Braeckel is Director of Design and Concepts for Bentley. He is responsible for all conceptual and aesthetic aspects of Bentley products and has held that position since 1999. He offers Gotryke his thoughts on the new 2011 Bentley Continental GT, which was unveiled this September.

How do you approach the challenge of living up to the Bentley marque with the new GT?

Bentley has a rich heritage and that has always played a significant role for the creation of new designs. Understanding the brand is key to create new Bentley cars which are instantly recognizable as a Bentley but are clearly contemporary. The first GT was a revolution for the brand and unique on the road. The new GT follows in that successful path but achieves a greater presence combined with a purity of line and construction that has no equal.

What contemporary influences played into your design?

The modern aspect of sharper lines to the design. We challenged the toolmakers to achieve half the radius compared with the old car on the body panels. This achievement creates a great tension between the character lines and the generous negative and positive surfaces.

What changed with this process since the previous generation GT? Did you work on the previous generation?

I created the first GT. It was the first full project I worked on for Bentley. Back then we were a small team and worked very much in the classic design process. Hand sketches, clay models by hand etc. Now we work in a combined process using hand skills together with the digital processes we have today. I am also responsible for the final CAD surfaces of the whole car so I use this to the full advantage for the design execution with a lot of attention to detail.

What past Bentley models inspired the new GT?

The original GT has a strong link to the R Type Continental of 1952. The new GT follows that but has a far more modern execution which if one looks at the surface and detail feel has a strong link to the Embiricos Bentley of 1936. This was a unique “one off” car.

What is the makeup of the design department in Crewe?

We have about 95 people in the studio with responsibilities ranging from Engineering packaging  (the cars Architecture) over the exterior and interior design, model building and final CAD surfacing. It is a young international team but primarily British. We work very closely with a minimum of paperwork and achieve great things working directly together as a team.

How does the design team work together, from exterior to interior?

We have direct interaction between all involved in a project. We work in a close-knit fashion. We are also located together with direct access to the models. People are only metres away from one another so communication is optimum.

What materials are new to the GT? How did they impact the design?

We use Super form Aluminum for the front  fenders. We wanted to achieve the clean statement that the lamps are surrounded by metal and not sitting in between a metal fender and a plastic bumper skin like the original Gt. In Coach building days a craftsman would piece the metal together and finish the part in such a way that it looked as one piece. Now we can achieve this with Superforming. With pressing methods this would not be possible.

Describe the new Bentley in three aesthetic terms.

Powerful yet understated presence. Timeless. Iconic character.

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The game changed for Bentley when it introduced the Continental GT in 2003, a vehicle that expanded the brand’s outreach considerably.  Now with a fresh-faced design, Bentley has it’s eye on upping the ante in the 2011 Bentley Continental GT. The new GT enters the market in a very different global climate — on many levels.

To answer to the fluctuating demands of the new luxury buyer, Bentley has opted to go with a flare for the efficient in the optional flex-fuel 4.0-liter V8 engine coming in late 2011. Engineering chief Ulrish Bez spoke to Gotryke nearly two year ago about innovations down the rod, in which power and fuel efficiency would be in balance. That time has come. In a statement on Tuesday, Bentley said the 4.0-liter V8 will deliver a 40 percent reduction in emissions compared with the W12 engine and offer a class-leading CO2 emissions-to-power ratio The move is definitive in the existing super-luxury category, with the blend of prestige, performance, and purpose.

Traces of Audi, which is also part of the Volkswagen corporation, show up in the GT in updated technology and architecture, following along the premise of the Audi A8 flagship.  The elongated wheelbase is a cue from A8 design. Bentley Motors spokeswoman Valentine O’Connor told Edmunds Inside Line that the 2011 Continental GT W12 will go on sale in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2011, while the new V8 edition will arrive stateside in the fourth quarter of 2011. Prices will be announced at the upcoming Paris Auto Show.

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The NHRA meets Vogue Magazine circa 1967 for this track side shoot at Irwindale Raceway in California. The Christmas Tree, a drag term for starting line lights, clocks the dragsters at 290 mph as models stand dangerously nearby.  The clothes are Michael Mott for Paraphernalia, who took over for Betsey Johnson in the youthful oriented American design house. The vintage dress was full-blown mod in the height of 60s cool with silver boots by Herbert Levine.

We’ve been wandering around the web today and have come across a delectable mix of fashion and hot rodding nostalgia for stylish consumption. (Via Bubble Visor)

Along the same note, loving the juxtaposition of yellow and blue of this mod model with the cherry ’68 Pontiac Banshee.  (via KarzNshit)

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Once upon a time my father worked for Chrysler and he staked his unofficial claim to fame. He named the Dodge, Durango. It all stemmed from his enchantment with the outdoorsy life and dude ranches of Durango, Colorado. And the name has stuck as Chrysler revealed the new Durango, which be built in November at the Jefferson Assembly Plant on Detroit’s east side.

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The work from each participating artist will be sold in series of 20 limited edition prints and two artists will custom paint bikes that will be on display. Proceeds benefit Global Bike, an international organization that donates bikes to caregivers in developing countries.  The premise behind the charity has a cool spin. The average care giver in Zambia travels six to ten miles a day to see three patients — made much simpler by bikes that the organization provides rather than on foot. Global Bike also sends bikes to Bolivia, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Rwanda.  Also benefitting from the Pedal Pop is Team Type 1, an organization in which six professional cyclists with type 1 diabetes will participate in the nine day race Tour of Rwanda in effort provide diabetes medication and supplies in Rwanda. Pedal Pop offers a fresh approach to trail blazing on two wheels.

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The Gotryke Mix Series debut with the right kind of pedigree from DJ 3000, a musically-inclined car connoiseur.

“Motech’s vision was born from the dust and destruction of the automobile industry in the Motor City,” said Frankie Juncaj, who records as DJ 3000. “Once a booming industry that influenced the world, it was reduced to shambles in one fell swoop and left a permanent residue on the city it once inhabited. Drawing from the never ending influence that Detroit had to offer, we began looking back to our ethnic roots. What eventually emerged was a unique blend of Detroit electronic rhythm combined with the sounds and textures of generations long past.”

The name is a play on Motown and techno, but also references an automotive trade school in Detroit from the 1980s. Falling in love with cars was natural for Juncaj, who grew up in Detroit. His father and most of his relatives worked at Chrysler and he hung out at his next door neighbor’s whose who built race cars for fun. Juncaj is into classic Chevrolet muscle cars and slick styled Euro- rides. “If I could buy one classic Chevy it would be a ’67 Chevy Camaro because to me it screams classic American muscle. I grew up seeing that car in my neighborhood. Yes, I know my dad worked at Chrysler but he even had a Chevy Monte Carlo.”

Juncaj relocated to Amsterdam, but if he moves back to Detroit he’ll buy a used 2004 Audi RS4. “Its fast and looks slick and without looking loud so this is the perfect car for me. I plan to buy one in the future….I hope!”

DOWNLOAD: View dj3000-karma-mix-mp3
Motech Records

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Land Rover Product Manager Frank Dauerer worked closely on Land Rover’s new Autobiography program, a customized, limited-edition project. He explained how the concept is closely connected to Land Rover’s identity, dating back to 1970. This is the ultimate Range that makes no excuses, and now the program has come to fruition in cool-daddy style. Consider the plethora of amenities starting with the boss exterior: Barolo Black exterior paint, 20-inch Diamond Turned 10-spoke alloy wheels, a Titan mesh front grille, side vents off set by chrome bars and black surroundings.

The interior is defined by sill plates. Grand Black Lacquer-finish and leather trim are layered on the doors, instrument panel center console, shift knob and heated steering wheel. The logo is subtly embossed throughout the vehicle. Taking a cue from the original Autobiography edition, the Autobiography Black is powered by a 5.0-liter, 510hp supercharged V8 engine with direct fuel injection 461 lb.-ft. of peak torque with a zero to 60 mph in just 5.9 seconds. Land Rover takes it personally.

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