Bentley will use the Porsche-developed MSB platform on some of its future products. Talking to our sister publication, Autocar UK, a Volkswagen Group insider said that there was a good relationship between the two brands, and that it is a big chance for Bentley to improve their products further.
The new platform, to be engineered by Porsche, should give Bentley much more focused driving dynamics. It should also do away with the nose-heavy weight distribution that hampers the dynamics of the current Continental family. This will be achieved by replacing the current car’s front transaxle with a system that passes drive to the front wheels via a ‘quill’ shaft driven from the rear of the transmission.
The MSB platform with an advanced material design, uses high aluminium content and a percentage of materials such as magnesium to keep the weight balanced throughout the body, thus improving the driving dynamics.
The system used in today’s Panamera allows a four-wheel drive system to be combined with an motor mounted farther back in the engine bay for superior dynamic balance. The more sophisticated MSB platform, with its high aluminium content, also offers Bentley the chance to design a roomier Flying Spur sedan, equipped with every luxury add-on, yet without a significant increase in the kerb weight.
Most importantly, Bentley gets access to the all-new Porsche petrol V8. Potentially, this clears the way for much sportier Continental Speed models to address one of the weaknesses of the top-end Continental models compared with rivals.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
