Symphony of Speed

At The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia, Bentley lets its best performers do the talking.

- Wei-Yu Wang

FOR ITS SYMPHONY of Speed event, intended to showcase the cream of its production car crop, Bentley chose the setting of South Australia. The Australian state is famous for, among other things, its half-hour time zone, grand vistas and vineyards. The last includes Penfolds, one of the most famous names in Australian wine and Bentley’s partner for the event’s welcome dinner. Penfolds is a brand that Bentley finds kinship with; it was founded in South Australia by a British couple in 1844, some 75 years before WO Bentley would start his own firm. The two brands have stood the test of time on the strength of their renowned craftsmanship.

South Australia is also known as a motorsport destination. The streets of its capital, Adelaide, were the venue for the Australian Grand Prix from 1985 to 1995. Within an hour’s drive from the city are two world-class racing circuits, and the newest of these is The Bend Motorsport Park. It was here that Bentley trotted out some of its fastest, most high-performing and suffixed vehicles: the Continental GT Speed and Bentayga Speed.

The Continental and Bentayga need no introduction. The former is a name indelibly associated with the grand tourer and has been making rounds since the 1950s. Its modern incarnation has a claim to being the only true luxury grand tourer left on the market and has been on the highway for nearly two decades over three generations. The Bentayga was also an early start for Bentley, introduced in 2015 as a pioneer of today’s increasingly popular ultra-luxury SUVs.