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A lot of digital ink has been devoted lately to both Bentley's decision to create an SUV model as well as the appearance of the concept that hinted at the production model. But did you know that the British premium brand explored numerous options for a new addition to its range before deciding on the SUV? Bentley’s CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer told Motor Trend magazine that his company’s designers had actually submitted three more projects.
Duerheimer admitted that one of them was a sports car smaller than the Continental GT, although he wouldn’t comment on what the other two models were.
He added that the sports model was Bentley designers’ favorite: “The model still sits outside Dirk van Braeckel’s (head of Bentley’s design) office”.
Despite the controversy it has caused, Duerheimer says that the company was right in choosing the EXP 9 F.
“In the end the SUV was a better idea. It sits above all its competition. The sports car would have had the Porsche 911 Turbo as opposition.” Now, the powers that be wouldn’t want Bentley and Porsche fighting each other, would they?
Still, that’s no excuse for the EXP 9 F styling. Here’s a thought: perhaps van Braeckel’s team could try to incorporate some elements from the model that sits outside their boss’s office into the redesigned SUV.
