The 16MY Bentley Continental GT Speed has been taken to its top speed of 206 mph (331 km/h)* by Australian racing legend, John Bowe, on the derestricted Stuart Highway** deep in the Northern territory.

The 635 PS (626 bhp), 820 Nm (607 lb.ft) W12-powered GT Speed Grand Tourer reached Vmax in just 76 seconds, covering a distance of 9.4 kilometres in the process. At top speed, the 6.0-litre twin-turbo Grand Tourer was covering a staggering 92 metres (or one football pitch) per second.

John Bowe said: “This isn’t a modified racecar; it’s a luxurious grand touring road car fresh off the production line. It took us a little over a minute to go from a standstill to 206 mph. That’s extraordinary. Even when you break through the 200 mph barrier, the GT Speed just keeps accelerating.”

Bentley Continental GT Speed

The Stuart Highway covers a distance of 1,761 miles (2,834 km) from Darwin in the Northern Territory to Port Augusta, South Australia – approximately the same distance as London to Istanbul or New York to Denver. In October 2013 the local Government announced a trial period of reverting to an open speed limit on the 120-mile (200 km) stretch between Alice Springs and Barrow Creek.

At Vmax the 16MY Bentley Continental GT Speed is circulating 216 litres of coolant through its engine and radiator per minute; drawing over 4,700 litres of air through its radiator each second; and using 80 per cent of its engine power just to overcome aerodynamic loads.

A six-time Australian touring car and two-time Bathurst 1,000 champion, John Bowe was the perfect choice of driver for Bentley’s high-speed run in the ‘Red Centre’. He is also familiar with the Continental as he currently races a GT3 Down Under with Flying B Racing.

The most powerful, most luxurious, most exclusive and fastest SUV in the world, the Bentley Bentayga, makes its ice-driving debut in 2016 at Bentley’s flagship customer event, Power on Ice.

Power on Ice is an unforgettable four-day experience that provides the opportunity to push a full range of Bentley cars to their limits. Running throughout February next year, guests will be among the first to explore the Bentayga’s extraordinary capabilities in one of the most beautiful and challenging environments in the world.

Two days of exhilarating ice driving training are provided by the vastly experienced Bentley Ice Driving Team. Leading the tuition will be four-time World Rally Champion and two-time ice-speed record holder, Juha Kankkunen – who personally designs each of the ten ice tracks.

Drive the Bentley Bentayga

A range of models, including the Bentley Bentayga and the performance flagship, the Continental GT3-R, will take on the challenging off-piste tracks. Thanks to their all-wheel-drive systems – and Bentley’s new Drive Dynamics Mode with optional Responsive Off-Road Setting in the case of Bentayga – each of the models can constantly adjust the distribution of power between front and rear wheels depending on available traction, ensuring optimal grip is delivered.

The home of the event will be the unique Chalet Ruka Peak. Relaxing evening meals featuring contemporary Finnish cuisine and a traditional smoke sauna will afford guests time to unwind after an adrenaline-fuelled day. Night time husky-sled safaris to an historic reindeer farm complete the immersion into Finnish culture and ensure a truly unique experience.

To experience the Bentley Bentayga and the other models you just need to contact the events department. Just select from a range of accommodation, with prices starting from €11,900 per person. More information can be found at events.bentleymotors.com, or by contacting the Bentley Driving Team on +44 (0)1675 445 945.

During P Zero Corsa tyre development tests with Pirelli – the Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce (first shown at the 85th International Motor Show in Geneva) has completed the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit tearing down the wall of the mythical 7-minute.

Aventador Superveloce, reactive engineering!

The new member of the Porsche GT family is the Cayman GT4.

This is the first time Porsche has introduced a GT sports car based on the Cayman  – which has components of the 911 GT3.

So how fast is the GT4?

A lap time of 7 minutes and 40 seconds on the North Loop of the Nürburgring positions the Cayman GT4 as the new benchmark at the top of its market segment. It also makes a clear statement that Porsche will continue to promote radical two-door sports cars in the future – sports cars that are developed at the Motorsport department in Weissach.

Autocar take a visit to find out more about this great new Cayman.