By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

I’m a pretty big Griffey fan—I watched him hit a three run home run against the Yankees just two weeks ago—but I’m not sure I’m a fan of his Bentley Continental GT. What do you think? Via Celebrity Cars Blog

The first rendering of this crazy Bentley, set to debut at SEMA, caused quite a stir when Toyo sent out the first press release two weeks ago. Well now ASI has created a ride page for the "Tetsu GTR" on CarDomain with a ton more pics, and they are promising to reveal more details soon. We’ll keep you posted.

Well, yesterday was an interesting one as I had the good fortune to attend the Bentley experience up at Pocono Raceway in sunny Pennsylvania. For those of you that are unaware of these things, they are days that are set up by the manufacturer for buyers or perspective buyers to come out and experience what it’s like to actually drive the latest and greatest that Bentley has to offer. On hand we had a few Continental Flying Spurs, and two Continental GT Speeds (these are REALLY cool).

Now for those of you that think that Bentleys are just big old lumbering tanks, I must inform you that you are dead wrong. My first go round was with the Flying Spur, all 5000+ pounds and 552hp of it. Not only did I drive the Flying Spur, but I also had three other people in the car with me and went out to do some hot laps on Pocono’s tight East Course. That’s right, 4-door Bentley, 5000 pounds, three full grown people and hot laps.

Simply stated, the Flying Spur is an astounding automobile. Loads or power, great brakes with all-wheel drive to boot–amazing. Is it a Ferrari? Nope, and it doesn’t claim to be. What it is, however, is a massive machine that is not only well balanced but confidence-inspiring, to the point where if you were brave enough and a good enough driver, you’d be able to take it to a track and surprise the heck out of a few people. Yes, it’s that good. We did 0-80-0 tests, slalom runs and track time with the thing and I always came away very impressed.

BTW, I forgot to mention that Derek Bell was also there. You know, he’s the guy that won Le Mans five times, raced Formula One for Ferrari and McLaren and is considered to be one of the greatest race car drivers in world. Watch the blog for my review of doing hot laps with Derek in the Continental GT Speed–now that was a trip. If you have questions then ask them and I’ll respond as I could talk about this thing all day long. One more pic after the jump.

Veilside seems to be trying to step it up with this new brand. I do not think they had great success with their past attempts at Ferrari aero parts, Bentley aero parts and other exotics, but Yokomaku definitely has a thing for exotic cars and is working at it again. Unlike most Veilside releases I’ve seen lately I actually like these a bit. Not horrible, I’ll say that at least. Credit is much deserved for the confidence and dedication it takes to produce a production widebody for the Bentley. I hope they can recoup their investment on these. Although at the price they’re selling for, they have a good shot at it.

I really miss the good ol days when Veilside would impress me every time (I’m talking like mid-late 90s). Lately with the exception of these cars they’ve been all about high volume low cost, taking them from what was at one point the level of prestige that Top Secret has down to current comparison point of like a Chargespeed. I’ve been meaning to write an article about Veilside along these lines, and I will at some point. But for now, enjoy the exotic goodness of their new side project. More pics after the jump.

At the Geneva Motor Show, you can’t throw a rock without hitting some excruciatingly expensive exotic, so if you go, don’t throw rocks. Right now, our buddies from Road & Track are across the pond covering it, and from the looks of these photos, they’re having a blast. They sent us sick shots of all the hottest stuff on the floor—like the KTM X-Bow Dallara Edition pictured below—and they’re making editorial wish we weren’t stuck at CarDomain World Headquarters. Check out all the pics they sent after the jump, and for complete info on all these rides, check out the Best of Geneva slide show over at Road & Track. All photos by John Lamm, Road & Track.

Well, we knew it was coming: the Indy Racing League and CART have gotten back together. Most of the details have been keep secret, but we were able to learn a few things. IRL has promised to help out around the house more, and CART says IRL’s friends are welcome anytime. Let’s hope those two kids make it work. Here’s the news:

• GM’s Bob Lutz is standing by his declaration that global warning is a "total crock of shit." Since Lutz is in his ’70s, his statement makes us think of four words: mandatory, retirement, John, and McCain. Automotive News
• Tata is planning to release the world’s cheapest new car, but of late, the company has been making the kind of noise usually associated with polysyllabic supercar manufacturers. Today’s big news?  Sales will start in October 2009. AutoObserver
• Yup, Bentleys are pricey. They’re actually so pricey that even when they’re sold as salvage, they can set records. Check out how much this banged up Continental GTC brought at auction. AutoExpress
• It’s been a long time since Pontiac actually built excitement, and it’s hoping to change that with the new G8. But did they pull it off? Popular Mechanics

Ever wonder what life would be like without music? I’ve wondered it, but I don’t think I’d ever want to experience it. Music is one of the reasons I got into the Mobile Electronics industry. The gadgets and the cool devices that help make the music in my car and life are only secondary, but they make my job and hobby that much more exciting. I know nothing really beats the sound of a finely tuned engine, but nothing compliments it better than a finely tuned car stereo system. And if I couldn’t listen to music, well, then I guess I’d just hop over to SoundDomain and catch up on the news!

• High-end home audio manufacturer Naim has announced it will provide the audio systems for future Bentley vehicles. Produced under the moniker "naim for Bentley", the system will belt out 1100 watts of pure audiophile power to 15 speakers. How much does the Naim system add to the bottom line of a Bentley? Well, as the saying goes – if you have to ask….
• If you’ve got an old school muscle car or classic cruiser in your garage and you’ve considered upgrading the radio and audio system, your options are pretty slim. Fortunately there are companies like RetroSound that offer the latest technology in a radio package designed to look factory in your retro-rod. USB, MP3, CD Changer controls, multi-color LCD… Get all the modern luxuries in a classic package.
• Blast from the past… Back in the good ‘ol days of Car Audio, Alpine and the Lambo Countach were one of the most recognized symbols in the industry (Alpine still is for that matter). I was digging around the net and stumbled on some oldie-but-goodie shots of this classic car stereo icon.
• Our man "Crazy Like a" Brian Fox is at it again… This time he’s creating a work of art to be showcased at Nissan’s booth at the New York International Auto Show this March. His new project is another Nissan Altima Coupe that will sport the new Fox Marketing 6-piece body kit, 19" Work wheels, and a bad-ass Rockford Fosgate stereo system.

If you’ve ever wanted to drive some of the world’s hottest cars, and you live in So-Cal, this event might be right up your alley. 1000 bucks gets you behind the wheel of, among other things, a Ferrari F430, Bentley Continental GT, Mercedes CL 63,  Maserati Quattroporte, and a Porsche 911 Turbo. More info at 405 Exotics.