What: 2017 Audi A8 L Color: Audi exclusive Verdant Green(verdantgrün; metallic UNI; LO6A; Audi) Chassis: WAU44AFD9HN008969 Mileage: 129,198 Price: $18,990 CarFax:Link Window Sticker: N/A Location: Milwaukee, WI Sales listing:Audi Milwaukee
It sure seems to cluster, doesn’t it? The Tailored staff finds one vehicle in a genuinely uncommon hue, and just a few days later, we find another. Call it frequency delusion if you will, but we’re quite happy when a second of something pops up, even moreso when it happens to be a personal favorite. Bentley’s Verdant Green initially entered our radar when it was spotted on a senior Audi staffer’s personal car in Ingolstadt, and promptly featured on our prior endeavor, Foutitude. The post caught fire, that executive car left an indelible impression and went on to inspire more than a few applications of Verdant here in the US. While we can’t be sure if this is one of them, we can say that the color looks great on anything, and this A8 L is no exception.
What: 2014 Audi RS 7 Color: Verdant Green (verdantgrün; metallic UNI; LO6A; Audi) VIN: WUAW2AFC9EN903062 Mileage: 46,100 Price: $62,000 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Private Party, Undisclosed, MI Listing:Link
Verdant Green is a color Audi borrowed from Bentley, the ultra luxurious British marque that’s a sibling to Audi in the Volkswagen Group. And while the hue looks natural on something Anglo and stately like a Continental GT, we’d also argue it looks the business on an RS 7.
This one is up for private party sale on AutoTrader. It does sport some modifications (those black wheels in the photos are clearly not factory), and the owner also sounds pretty specific about imperfections it has collected in its first 46,100 miles.
Bentley enthusiast Mark King receives his Bentayga Apex Edition by Mulliner, in full Le Mans Collection trim and livery
This option only offered to owners of limited edition Le Mans Collection Continental GT or GT Convertible
Both vehicles feature exterior in Verdant green with Le Mans style racing stripe in Moonbeam
Interior features include Beluga hide and Dinamica fabric seat faces with contrast seat stitching in Hotspur
Apex Edition Bentayga based on 550 PS 4.0-litre S V8 with Bentley Dynamic Ride and rear-wheel steering
Special Apex Edition features include 22” carbon wheels, carbon-ceramic brakes and carbon body kit
Le Mans Collection Continental GT created to mark 20th anniversary of Bentley’s sixth victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
[source: Bentley]
Crewe, England – A long-term Bentley enthusiast and collector, Mark King, has taken delivery of a very special Bentayga – the latest addition to an extensive Bentley stable. His Apex Edition Bentayga is one of just 20 handcrafted examples by Mulliner worldwide, finished in the same livery and trim as his 2023 Le Mans Collection Continental GT – itself created to mark 20 years since Bentley’s return to victory at Le Mans in 2003 after a 73-year absence from the top step of the podium.
While the Apex Edition Bentayga was also offered in six curated colour and trim themes, the Verdant green and Moonbeam livery of Mr King’s Apex Edition Bentayga was only offered to existing Le Mans Collection owners.
A thoroughbred stable
Mr King, who is based in Northern Ireland, follows a family tradition as a passionate and knowledgeable collector of high-performance vehicles. His new Apex Edition Bentayga joins a garage that holds a Bentayga Speed, a rare Continental GT3-R and a Continental Flying Spur, all of which he uses regularly. A Bentley owner since 2010 and regular attendee at Bentley’s exclusive owner events, he leapt at the opportunity to commission a Le Mans Collection Continental GT in 2023 and needed no encouragement to add the Apex Edition Bentayga in full Le Mans livery when it was announced. His existing Bentayga Speed has covered over 100,000 miles in his ownership and is often pressed into action to trailer other vehicles from his extensive collection.
The Apex Edition Bentayga
The Apex Edition Bentayga is based on the Bentayga S, the sporting flagship of Bentley’s SUV line-up. Its 4.0-litre, twin-scroll turbocharged V8 petrol engine develops 542 bhp (550 PS) and 568 lb.ft. (770 Nm) of torque, giving a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds (0-100 km/h in 4.5 secs) and a top speed of 180 mph (290 km/h). Bentley Dynamic Ride active anti-roll control and rear-wheel steering deliver agile handling with minimal roll, while the V8’s exhilarating snarl is enhanced by a free-flowing sports exhaust.
The Apex Edition takes the performance focus to the next level, with ultra-strong 22” Mulliner carbon wheels that save 44 kg in unsprung mass for enhanced steering agility, and carbon-ceramic brakes for immensely powerful, fade-free braking. As the most performance focused and dynamic Bentayga ever, Mr King’s Apex Edition amply merits its Le Mans-inspired livery.
The Le Mans Collection Continental GT
Created in 2023 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Bentley’s sixth victory at Le Mans, the Le Mans Collection Continental GT’s Verdant green and Blackline specification nods to the black and green livery of the winning #7 Speed 8. The Beluga black matrix grille features a painted #7 in Arctica white, while other distinctive features include black 22-inch ten-spoke wheels, powerful carbon ceramic brakes and red brake callipers.
All Le Mans Collection vehicles feature a six-wreath emblem inlaid into a high gloss carbon fibre fascia, marking each of the six outright victories recorded by Bentley at Le Mans between 1924 and 2003. The highlight of the interior is the three-way Bentley Rotating Display, which revolves to reveal a central vitrine that holds a section of engine valve from the winning 2003 Speed 8.
Le Mans Collection marks 20th anniversary of Bentley’s sixth victory at the world’s most iconic endurance race – the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Shared history: 100 years since the first Le Mans – when a Bentley recorded the fastest lap
Bentley Rotating Display houses a valve from the engine of the 2003 Le Mans winning #7 Bentley Speed 8
Limited edition of a total of 48 Continental GT and GTCs globally
Powered by 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12, the most successful 12-cylinder engine of the modern era
Crafted by Mulliner, Bentley’s personal commissioning division
Evocative exterior styling in Verdant green with Moonbeam racing stripe
No.7 on grille celebrates winning Bentley Speed 8 #7 of 2003
Interior features include fascia inlay of six winning wreaths, Speed 8 silhouette treadplate and digital 24-hour clock
[source: Bentley]
Crewe, England – To mark 20 years since Bentley’s sixth victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and 100 years since the first running of the legendary race, Bentley is creating a limited edition of Continental GT Coupés and Continental GTC’s. Each will be powered by the Bentley W12 engine, the most successful 12-cylinder engine of the modern era. The Le Mans Collection includes unique exterior and interior details that echo the design of the Le Mans winning Speed 8 #7.
All Le Mans Collection models are specified with the three-way Bentley Rotating Display, offering a choice of touchscreen, dual veneer or analogue dials – but with a twist; In place of the standard central dial is a Vitrine displaying an engine valve from the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 of the 2003 Le Mans winning Bentley Speed 8. The engine was removed after the contest and preserved, and now 24 of the 32 valves from the engine have been bisected to create 48 artefacts for this exclusive collection of ultimate Grand Tourers.
In another thoughtful touch, the standard 12-hour analogue clock is replaced by a digital clock with a bespoke dial design – a 24 hour one, naturally.
Mulliner, Bentley’s personal commissioning division, has taken inspiration from the dark green Speed 8 racing cars that swept all before them at Le Mans in 2003. From the Verdant green (verdantgreen; metallic UNI; 6606 / 9560016; Bentley) exterior to the sliver of Speed 8 engine displayed in the fascia, the Le Mans Collection is a heartfelt tribute to a long and glorious shared history between Bentley and the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Tribute to Speed 8 #7
Mulliner’s designers closely studied the winning Speed 8 of 2003, surely one of the most beautiful racing cars ever to triumph at Le Mans. The limited number of Continental GT’s and Continental GTC’s in the Le Mans Collection are finished in Verdant green, with a Moonbeam racing stripe across the bonnet (and Coupé roof). The Blackline specification nods to the black and green livery of the Speed 8, while the carbon-fibre Styling specification body components are finished in black with a subtle pinstripe in Moonbeam. Beluga black is also chosen for the lower front bumper, wing mirror caps and rear ‘horseshoe’ area beneath the bootlid spoiler, while black 22-inch ten-spoke wheels shroud powerful carbon ceramic brakes and red brake calipers.
Meanwhile, the distinctive Bentley matrix grille (originally developed to protect the radiator on the unpaved Le Mans racetrack of the 1920s) features a painted #7 in Arctica white, combining the race-winning number of 2003 with the painted radiators of the Bentleys that won Le Mans five times between 1924 and 1930.
Bespoke details
The interiors of the Le Mans Collection Continental GT and Continental GTC are far more luxurious than those of the Bentley Speed 8s – but there’s the same sense of sporting purpose. A bespoke 2003 wreath welcome lamp ushers you into a cockpit trimmed in Beluga hide. Performance-bred napped Dynamica fabric covers the seat faces, while the interior’s monochrome colour scheme is relieved by contrast seat stitching and seatbelts in Hotspur. The steering wheel, trimmed in hide and Dynamica, also features Hotspur contrast stitching and six o’clock accent tab.
The dual-finish veneer on fascia and door waist rails is executed in Piano Black and high gloss carbon fibre, with a fine chrome pinstripe separating the two. Matching doors to fascia so the pinstripe flows seamlessly from one side to the other is a mark of the exceptional craftsmanship in every Bentley.
The Le Mans Collection Bentleys feature many bespoke details, beginning with the Speed 8 sill plates and six-wreath treadplates that greet occupants on entering the interior. The fascia displays the six-wreath emblem inlaid into high-gloss carbon fibre, marking each of the six outright victories recorded by Bentley at Le Mans between 1924 and 2003.
Race inspired performance
The Le Mans Collection Continental GT and GTC are equipped with Bentley’s renowned 6.0-litre W12 TSI engine, delivering 659 PS (650 bhp) and an extraordinary 900 Nm (664 lb.ft) of torque.
With exceptional handling, this results in a top speed of 208 mph (335 km/h) and 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds (0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds). A combination of four chassis technologies give the new limited edition a level of agility, performance and ride quality as expected of a car with this heritage.
Bentley Dynamic Ride and three-chamber active air suspension with adaptive damping play a key role in the balance of the car and provide a formidable foundation to build upon. The optional and newly-developed Carbon Ceramic Brakes, Variable Electronic Stability Control, All Wheel Steering, and an Electronic Limited Slip Differential bolster the agility and performance even further.
Bentley and Le Mans
Bentley’s long association with Le Mans didn’t get off to the smoothest of starts. “I think the whole thing’s crazy. Nobody’ll finish. Cars aren’t designed to take that sort of strain for 24 hours.” Such was W.O. Bentley’s reaction in 1923, on hearing that private entrant John Duff planned to contest the first-ever Le Mans 24 Hour race in a Bentley 3 Litre. But the competitive fire in W.O’s soul saw him make a last-minute dash to the La Sarthe circuit nonetheless. Inspired by Duff’s 4th place (despite a lengthy stop to repair a holed petrol tank) and fastest lap, W.O and Bentley Motors returned in 1924 with a works entry – and won. It was the start of a glorious decade that saw five wins in seven years.
Bentley was back in 2001 with the EXP Speed 8, the start of a three-year programme targeting a sixth outright victory. And on Sunday, June 15th, 2003, Bentley’s two works Speed 8s finished first and second in this most gruelling of endurance races. Car #7 of Guy Smith, Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo Capello covered 377 laps at an average speed of 214.33km/h, followed by the #8 Speed 8 of Johnny Herbert, Mark Blundell and David Brabham.
