VIDEO: First Official Driving Footage of New Bentley Mulsanne

Bentley is continuing its efforts to drum up attention for its new Mulsanne limo, this time with the release of a three minute long film shot on location in Edinburgh and the Scottish borders.

Set to replace the Arnage, the British firm's flagship model is motivated by a twin-turbocharged 6¾-litre V8 churning out 512 horsepower and a massive peak torque of 1020 Nm / 752 lb ft. Power is transferred to the rear wheels through a new eight-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel mounted gearshifts. Watch the video after the jump.

Video: New Bentley Mulsanne at the Frankfurt Show and in Motion

At the Frankfurt Motor Show this week, Bentley showed its all-new Mulsanne, the nameplate's all-new flagship grand tourer that is powered by a 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V8 that manages to produce a 'healthy' output of 508 horsepower and a whopping of 1020Nm or 752 lb-ft of torque. We've already showed you live photos of the glizty sedan, but now the British brand has released new videos of the Mulsanne including footage from its Frankfurt stand as well as a promotional film and a video of the car in motion. Check them out right after the jump.

Click here for detailed information and a high-resolution gallery of the new Bentley Mulsanne limo

New Bentley Mulsanne Marches into Frankfurt, gets Twin-Turbocharged V8 with 512HP

Built to replace the soon-to-be discontinued Arnage, the Mulsanne is Bentley's new flagship model that has been designed and engineered at Crewe from the ground-up. We already got a taste of the Mulsanne about a month ago at the Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance in California, but now Bentley has released further details on the limousine that made its European premiere in Frankfurt.

On the outside, the Mulsanne is less gaudy than the Rolls Royce Phantom but far more interesting than Daimler's S-Class-lookalike, the Maybach 57/62, which are the car's closest rivals. Highlights include the bold front design with the unusual quad headlamp arrangement and the huge front grille that echo the styling of the Bentley S-Type of the 1950s, the swooping rear end and muscular shoulder lines at the back along with the massive 20-inch or optionally, 21-inch alloy wheels.

Customers can choose from a huge range of 114 paint colors that include everything from unusual heritage colors and special satin to pearlescent finishes and duo-tone combinations. And if that isn't enough, Bentley offers an individualization programme where buyers specify the car with a unique color of their choice.

Moving on to the interior, the Mulsanne blends traditional styling and materials with high-tech gadgets and modern luxury amenities such as the multimedia system with 40 GB hard disc drives, satellite navigation, audio/video, personal data, telephone and Bluetooth connectivity. The entire cabin is encased within a "ring of wood" while most surfaces are dressed in premium leather.

Again, customers can select from what Bentley describes as a "virtually unlimited palette of leather hides", including 24 standard colours, of which three are new for Bentley.

Bentley says that while the firm's engineers where considering numerous powertrain configurations early on in the project, they concluded that a revised version of the 6¾-litre V8 engine would best serve their objectives for a engine that would "produce effortless torque from extremely low revs, maintain the highest levels of refinement and satisfy the strict current and future environmental standards."

In the Mulsanne, the twin-turbocharged 6¾-litre V8 produces an output of 512 horsepower and a massive peak torque of 1020 Nm / 752 lb ft that is now delivered even earlier at 1,800 rpm. The V8 delivers its power to the rear wheels through a the new eight-speed automatic transmission which, for the first time on a flagship Bentley, comes with steering-wheel mounted gearshift.

According to the VW Group-owned British automaker, CO2 emissions and fuel consumption are reduced by more than 15 percent in the revised powertrain.

Other mechanical highlights include the new air suspension system with continuously variable dampers and the also newly developed Drive Dynamics Control system that allows the driver / chauffer to calibrate the suspension and steering control systems to a preferred driving style.

Provisional technical Specification

Engine

Type: Twin-turbocharged V8

Installation: Front, longitudinal, rear-wheel drive

Construction: Alloy heads and block

Capacity: 6750cc

Power: 512PS / 505bhp / 377kW

Torque: 1020Nm / 752 lb ft

Transmission

Type: Rear-wheel-drive

Gearbox: ZF 8-Speed automatic

Body & Chassis

Length: 5562mm (219.49in)

Width: 1926mm (75.80in)

Height: 1526mm (60.01in)

Wheelbase: 3266mm (128.60in)

Front Track: 1605mm (63.20in)

Rear Track: 1651mm (65.00in)

Wheels / tyres (standard): 9J x 20in. with 265/45 ZR 20 tires

(Optionally): 9J x 21in. with 265/40 ZR 21 tires

VIDEO: 2011 Bentley Mulsanne No1 Auctioned for $500,000

As well as performing the world premiere of the brand-new 2011 Mulsanne at this weekend's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Monterey, California, Bentley also auctioned the first example of its 'uber' (let's not forget the car's VW Group roots...) luxurious flagship sedan at the Gooding & Company auction with chassis No1 being sold to an unnamed buyer for $500,000. The Mulsanne will replace the Arnage in Bentley's automobile range with sales set to begin in the summer of 2010.

Thanks for the tip Ecneli!

2011 Bentley Mulsanne: Arnage Replacement Makes World Debut at Pebble Beach

After a series of lackluster teaser videos, Bentley finally whisked the covers of the all-new Mulsanne at the Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance in Monterey, California this past weekend. The British automaker's flagship limousine, which we have come to know as the "Grand Bentley", will replace the Arnage when it goes on sale in mid-2010 as a 2011 model. Bentley said that the new limo is inspired from by the company founder W.O. Bentley's "crowning achievement" the 1930-1931 8-litre.

"The 8-litre's breathtaking performance and quality was perhaps the finest example of a 'pure' grand Bentley. Every mechanical detail carried W.O. Bentley's unique stamp and it was the clearest demonstration of a car built without compromise," commented Dr. Ulrich Eichhorn, Member of the Board Engineering.

"The Mulsanne has been designed with exactly the same guiding principles, so it is entirely fitting that these Bentleys from different eras share the same stage," he added.

Bentley has withheld engineering and powertrain details on the new Mulsanne as the company said it will provide full product information at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show.

However, some sources claim that the Mulsanne will be powered by a reworked V8 engine while others support that it will feature a W12 engine. We'll just have to wait and see who's right. Until then, feel free to have your say on the Mulsanne's styling in the comment section below.