Bentley Mulsanne Speed: The Supersonic Couch

Among the ultra-luxury British automakers, there are two different philosophies: Rolls-Royce builds luxury limousines, while Bentley caters to gentlemen drivers. There is an English saying that goes like this: You drive your Bentley, but you get driven in a Rolls. While the two manufacturers produce cars that offer similar levels of comfort, they are not bought by the same customers. For example, Rolls-Royce could probably not get away with a sporty version of their models, while Bentley’s Speed lineup is a resounding success. After the Continental GT Speed, the Mulsanne was next in line to benefit from those add-ons.

The Mulsanne Speed will be offered in four different colours: Spectre (black, with gold and green accents), Candy Red, Camel (a mix of metallic beige with butterscotch undertones) and Marlin (a rich blue mixed with green, inspired by the colour of the sea). The car’s grilles have been blackened, and buyers can choose three different finishes for their 21-inch wheels: polished, painted or smoked.

• Also: 2013 Bentley Mulsanne: A car to drive before you die
• Also: Bentley Goes Green With its Hybrid Concept

But the most interesting upgrades are under the hood of this Bentley: it still uses the twin-turbo, 6.75 L V8 engine found in the base-model Mulsanne, but it has been fitted with new combustion chambers, injectors, spark plugs and compression ratio. It now produces 530 horsepower, and an almost unbelievable 811 lb/ft. of torque at 1750 rpm! This is enough to launch the car from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and eventually hit a top speed of 305 km/h. It is also more efficient, with a relatively low fuel consumption of 14.6 L/100 km.

You can buy the new Bentley Mulsanne Speed for only $450,000. If you can’t afford it, you can still see one in the flesh at the Paris Motor Show, where it will be shown for the first time.