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Bentley SUV Chosen Over Sportscar Due to 911 Overlap

It’s no secret that Bentley’s version of the full-sized Land Rover is one of the most loathed concept cars in a long time. And it’s not because people are calling it impure and a dilution of the brand, but because it’s ugly. But yes, this vehicle built for Arabs who want legroom is a bit on an affront to the wheels set in motion by the blower bentley. Instead of an open cockpit and a single seat, this SUV was fitted with cutlery and more leather than a cattle herd.
Bentley EXP 9 F Concept 1 photo
Photo: Original image created by autoevolution
So how did Bentley end up showing a really expensive Land Rover in Geneva instead of a successor to the sportscars of yesteryear. Well, CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer told Motor Trend that it’s because the sportscar would have been in Porsche 911 territory, and they didn’t want that.

Duerheimer says the small sportscar was the firm favorite with Bentley’s designers, as a model of the proposed design still resides outside outside their head of design’s office.

“In the end the SUV was a better idea. It sits above all its competition. The sports car would have had the Porsche 911 Turbo as opposition,” says Duerheimer.

The decision is obviously financially based, as they basically want to plug a gap in the model range. Bentley has shown itself extremely vulnerable to market oscillations and as such needs a stable model that will sell when the Continental isn’t.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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