Bentley throw down the gauntlet to Aston Martin

We’ve been waiting an age for the next Bond Film #23, which had been indefinitely delayed as MGM Studios faced bankruptcy following several box office flops and the general market slump in DVD sales. Thankfully MGM have stabilised and together with EON Productions were able to confirm the film’s go-ahead last month, with a release date in November 2012.

Daniel Craig will return as Bond for the third time, with David Arnold, who we interviewed last August [Shaken & Stirred] set to renew his role as music composer. But what we’re all keen to know is which car will play the leading role as Bond’s pussy-magnet/bad-guy-pursuit-car?

If Bentley had their way, the new Continental GT would suit the role perfectly.

To signal their intent Bentley have teamed up with best-selling author Jeffery Deaver for the launch of his new Bond novel, Carte Blanche, using a stunning white Continental GT with blood-red interior to launch his new book in Dubai. Carte Blanche is due to be published by Hodder and Stoughton in the UK on May 26, a few days before the anniversary of Fleming’s birthday and was commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, the family company which owns and administers the literary copyright in his books.

The book is partly set in Dubai, which is where the author and the Bond car candidate were photographed, outside the InterContinental Hotel in Dubai Festival City. Bond’s new Continental GT certainly suits his character, with its 6.0-litre, W12, twin-turbo engine capable of producing 567 bhp and 516 lb-ft of torque.

Jeffery Deaver sampled the new Continental GT on his recent visit to the Emirates, where he said, “I’m really excited about being back in Dubai. It is an inspirational and awe-inspiring city and makes a perfect Bond location—especially for a novel that pushes our hero to new extremes.”

Regarding the book’s title, which was revealed in January, Deaver added: “In the world of espionage, giving an agent carte blanche on a mission comes with an enormous amount of trust and constantly tests both personal and professional judgement. Part of the nonstop suspense in the novel is the looming question of what is acceptable in matters of national and international security. Are there lines that even James Bond should not cross?”

The James Bond of Ian Fleming’s original novels also opted to drive a Bentley, so it could well be time for the marques return to the silver screen.

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