Bentley Brooklands

The modern Bentley Brooklands is a four-seat grand coupé built around the marque’s 6.75-litre twin-turbo V8. Bentley announced a lifetime production limit of 550 at its 2007 launch. Customer deliveries followed in 2008, and the last car was completed in January 2010. This profile covers that modern coupé, separate from earlier Brooklands saloons.

Bentley Brooklands at a glance

The modern Brooklands identity

Brooklands names a Bentley coupé whose proportions and accommodation make its purpose clear. The long body, generous cabin and restrained roof describe a grand tourer with space for four occupants. The name also carries a motorsport association, but the modern car should be understood through its own launch and production history. It is a distinct model from the earlier saloon bearing the same name. An archive entry benefits from keeping those identities separate, since photographs and search results can otherwise mix cars with very different bodies. The modern coupé belongs to the final years of the traditional large Bentley V8 family.

Launch, deliveries and the final car

The contemporary manufacturer launch release places the coupé’s introduction in 2007, with first deliveries expected in 2008. Bentley’s Heritage account identifies January 2010 as the completion of its final Brooklands. This establishes a useful sequence: announcement, customer introduction and the last manufactured example. It also resolves a date inconsistency in the later Heritage text, which refers to a 2006 Geneva unveiling. The contemporary release is the better reference for the launch event. Keeping the source disagreement in the review notes allows the article to use a supported chronology while preserving the evidence needed for future checking.

A lifetime limit of 550

Bentley announced that production would be limited to 550 cars across the model’s lifetime. That number describes the manufacturer’s stated ceiling. It is not treated here as an independently checked completed chassis census. This distinction matters for a low-volume model because a programme can be announced with a maximum without ultimately reaching it. The count field therefore identifies an announced production limit and retains the same wording in the overview. For an individual Brooklands, build documentation establishes the car’s identity within the programme; its specification and completion date then provide a more useful historical record than an unsupported serial-number calculation.

The 6.75-litre V8 reference

The launch specification gives the twin-turbocharged V8 530 bhp and 1,050 Nm. A six-speed automatic transmission sends drive to the rear wheels. These are dated manufacturer references for the model, and they explain its relationship with Bentley’s established V8 engineering. The impressive torque figure belongs beside the transmission and the intended grand-touring use, rather than standing alone as a measure of character. In a photographic file, retain engine-bay views and the original technical specification with the cabin and body photographs. That connects the visible coupé with the mechanical system underneath it and makes comparisons with the contemporary Arnage more informative.

Four seats in a substantial coupé

The Brooklands approach is different from a compact two-seat sports car. Its four-seat cabin gives passengers a central role in the design, and its size is part of that brief. Look at the distance between the front and rear seats, the roofline above the rear compartment and the shape of the door openings. Those relationships explain the grand-touring intention better than a simple exterior dimension. Interior photographs can also show how veneers, hide and fittings form a continuous passenger environment. A complete archive record should preserve both the exterior proportions and the way the cabin uses the space enclosed by them.

The last Brooklands as the photographic subject

Bentley identifies the Heritage Collection car as the final Brooklands, completed in January 2010. The factory photograph therefore illustrates a documented endpoint in the model’s history. The Heritage page calls it Final Series, but that wording does not establish a separately numbered customer edition in addition to the Brooklands programme. This profile keeps the distinction clear. The photograph is of the actual final production example, while the article covers the modern coupé as a whole. A precise caption helps readers understand why that individual car is important without turning a collection-page heading into an unsupported additional production claim.

How to organise a Brooklands record

Start with the chassis and build date, then record the factory paint, upholstery, veneers and major options. Photograph the body from both sides and include the rear cabin, dashboard and engine bay. These views show how the design and specification work together. A launch brochure can provide the model’s baseline, while the individual order record describes what was actually commissioned. The final Heritage example is useful for model context, but it should not dictate the colours or equipment of every customer car. A good profile allows variation to remain visible while keeping the model identity and documentary trail consistent.

Its place in Bentley coupé history

The modern Brooklands offers a useful comparison with the R-Type Continental fastback and the final Continental R. All three concern grand touring, but they express it through different structures, eras and mechanical systems. The Brooklands is particularly valuable as a record of the traditional large V8 coupé near the end of its production life. Its rarity story combines a defined production programme with a documented final example. For a connected archive, that makes it more than a number in an edition list: it links body design, passenger accommodation and a specific chapter of Bentley engineering.

Frequently asked questions

When did the modern Brooklands launch?

The contemporary manufacturer release dates its introduction to 2007; first customer deliveries followed in 2008.

Were 550 cars confirmed as completed?

550 is the announced lifetime limit. This profile does not present it as a completed chassis census.

Is the photograph of a separate Final Series edition?

It shows Bentley’s documented final Brooklands, completed in January 2010. A separate numbered customer edition is not asserted.

What engine did the coupé use?

The launch reference is a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V8 with 530 bhp and 1,050 Nm, coupled to a six-speed automatic.

Explore related vehicle profiles

• Bentley R-Type Continental — H.J. Mulliner Fastback
• Bentley Continental R Final Series
• Bentley Arnage Final Series

Sources

• Bentley Heritage Collection — final Brooklands, January 2010
• Bentley’s 2007 Brooklands launch release archived by Ultimatecarpage
• Bentley — 40 years of turbocharged Bentleys

Facts are sourced to the linked manufacturer, institutional and specialist records. Design comparisons and documentation suggestions are editorial analysis. Announced limits and completed production populations are labelled separately.

Photography and credit

Bentley’s Heritage Collection Brooklands, identified by the manufacturer as the final example produced in January 2010; an example of the limited Brooklands coupé model. Photo: Bentley Motors / Bentley Newsroom · Editorial reproduction only. Resized and JPEG encoded without cropping or content changes. Bentley permits editorial reproduction only, excluding advertising, marketing and sales-related use. Copyright Bentley Motors; individual photographer not identified.