Ice, ice, Bentley

BENTLEY is returning to the ice in 2014 with a new and extended programme of slippery driving challenges for well-heeled customers. Popular demand for the company’s exclusive – and massively expensive – Power on Ice experiences has led to an increase in the number of days Bentley is to set up shop at its erstwhile base in the north of Finland, around 37 miles from the Arctic Circle. As ever, ice- and snow-driving specialist Juha Kankkunen, who also happens to be a four-time World Rally Championship winner, will be on hand to tutor paying guests in the delicate art of driving a performance car in difficult conditions.

Gumpert Insolvent

German supercar maker Gumpert has filed for insolvency after a foray in to China failed to realise the expected sales. We’re beginning to wonder if the only garden shed supercar makers actually able to make a go of things are British? Gumpert – German maker of extreme supercars – has instigated insolvency proceedings after its plan to make the newly wealthy Chinese fall in love with its bonkers cars floundered.

Bentley plans to add four-seat sports car, crossover to lineup

Bentley Motors is looking to add a four-seat sports car and a crossover vehicle to its lineup, using borrowed platforms from Volkswagen Group siblings Porsche and Audi, its top executive said. In an interview during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Bentley CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer said the crossover would borrow from the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne platforms. While the crossover may carry a V12 engine like the rest of the Bentley lineup, Duerheimer said, "not everyone needs to have a V12." Duerheimer, who oversaw Porsche's push into SUVs as the company's development chief, said he "knows what is possible" in bringing a luxury brand into new segments.