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Barnato Could Be the Name of the New Sports Car From Bentley

The most infamous of the Bentley Boys could lend his name to the British automaker’s upcoming sports car. Why? Because Woolf “Babe” Barnato won the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans three times on the trot.
Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 83 photos
Photo: Bentley
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Before he acquired his first Bentley in 1925, Barnato served in World War I in the Royal Field Artillery of the British Army. One year after Barnato bought himself a Bentley, the man acquired the Bentley business itself. In 1931, Captain Barnato lost Bentley due to the horrors brought by the 1929 Wall Street Crash.

As discovered by the peeps at Auto Express, Bentley filed for the Barnato trademark two years ago. And as suggested by the British publication, the trademark could be used for the upcoming model previewed by the jaw-dropping EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept. If this guesswork pans out, then the nameplate will also reflect the go-faster and dynamic capabilities of the car.

Speaking on the grounds of the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Bentley chairman and CEO Wolfgang Durheimer got us pumped up about the EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept and what it means to the brand: “a powerful, exquisite and individual concept. The show car has the potential to be the new pinnacle luxury two-seat sports car.”

Estimated time of arrival? 2019, thank you! An electric variant could also see the light of day, helping Bentley battle the likes of the Porsche Mission E. When all is said and done, the Barnato is fundamental to the manufacturer’s ambition to double sales by 2020. The sports car will slot below the 2018 Bentley Continental GT in terms of size and pricing. A coupe-ish SUV based on the Bentayga is also on the cards.

From a more technical perspective, the 2019 Bentley Barnato will ride on the MSB platform that also underpins the next-generation Continental GT, as well as the 2017 Porsche Panamera and its coupe version. As for the engine, an Audi-developed 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with more than 550 PS (542 horsepower) should fit the bill. The engine will also be used by the 2018 Lamborghini Urus, the automaker’s first-ever force-fed model.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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