Traditional British automotive power.

It’s tough to get more “automotively English” than Bentley and Brooklands.

The former is, of course, the famous automaker while the latter is a historic-if-now-defunct high-speed race track near London. Put the two names together in 2008 and you have a new coupe that is the sum of 6.75, 530, 774, 3, 5.0 and 340,990.

How does it add up?

You begin with the chassis of the Bentley Azure convertible, already stiffened to be a luxury drop top. Add a steel coupe roof while retaining in all but one piece of the convertible structure, and you have a very rigid automobile.

Make certain that top matches the lower body, give it an air of luxury and style and add the name Brooklands.

Now here come the numbers. Take the rather traditional Bentley V-8, displacing 6.75 liters, add a pair of turbochargers and the appropriate internal changes needed, and you come away with 530 horsepower and 774 lb.-ft. of torque. The 3 is an approximate number, but represents the Brookland’s weight in tons with driver and passenger. That 5.0 is the number of seconds to get the big Brooklands to 60 mph. You’ve probably guessed that $340,990 is the base price of the Brooklands coupe. With options and taxes you may be closer to $400,000.

It is a beautifully done machine, from its hand-finished body seams to the highly polished solid wood trim to the military straight stitching. Bentley says this is the most commodious coupe cabin in the world, and it feels like it when you’re stretched out in back enjoying the countryside blur by.

With the exception of new uprights to allow for the optional ($30,000) carbon-ceramic brakes, the suspension pieces also carry over from the Azure, though tuned to sportier — as in firmer and flatter — performance.

It is a mighty thing to stomp the gas, feel the back end slew a bit as the power bites and rushes the great machine forward. Once the road starts winding, the Brooklands is surprisingly agile though it is somewhat light-steering. Mind you, as it edges right, then left down the road, you will never forget this is one big, heavy machine…nothing cat like about it. But as a piece of traditional British automotive power, it is impressive. [Road&Track]

The price? Nearly $2 million.

This rather long appendage to the Bugatti nameplate reflects a relationship that the factory says goes back to 1927 when Ettore Bugatti sought fitted luggage from the Parisian design house.

That relationship has come full circle in this limited-edition Bugatti with styling cues developed by Hermes. The Fbg appellation refers to Hermes’ headquarters on Rue du Faubourge Saint Honore in Paris.

It’s not just a color and paint trim package, although the sand-colored hood and rear decklid are the first indications that this package is special. The face of the car has been revamped with a brushed-aluminum trademark horse collar grille now flanked with a panel with two air inlets. All the mesh grilles — including the main radiator opening, lower inlets — engine air snorkels aft of the passenger cabin and the rocker panel inlets now have a pattern that reflect the Hermes “H” motif.

Inside, sand-colored leather covers all the surfaces, and even the inside door pulls have been reconfigured to looks more like luggage latches than door handles.

Bespoke leather on the interior, and Hermes logos on the wheel hubs and fuel-filler door speak to the car’s pedigree. The car retains its legendary performance from its 1001-bhp V-16 quad-turbocharged engine, which enables a factory-claimed 0–62-mph run of 2.6 seconds. The price? Nearly $2 million. [Road&Track]

V-8 power and a twin-clutch gearbox.

Although BMW had previously revealed photos of its all-new M3 Convertible, the Geneva show was the car’s official world premiere.

And it won’t be long before lucky U.S. buyers can hop behind the wheel, as the M3 Convertible goes on sale here in May, just a couple of months after the M3 coupe and sedan hit the market.

The M3 Convertible follows the form of the 3 Series Convertible, meaning it uses an electrohydraulically operated retractable hardtop. The 3-piece roof is made of lightweight steel, is fully automatic in its operation (opening and closing in 22 seconds) and can be remotely operated.

Of course, it will be powered by the same high-revving 4.0-liter V-8 (which is actually 33 lb. lighter than the inline-6 of the last M3) that produces 414 bhp at 8300 rpm in the M3 coupe and sedan, enabling it to hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.3 seconds in convertible form, according to BMW. Top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. BMW says the M3 Convertible will average about 21 mpg.

But the M3 Convertible will go its coupe and sedan brethren one better by being the first of the trio to be available with BMW’s new 7-speed twin-clutch transmission, called M double-clutch transmission with Drivelogic (or M DKG Drivelogic for short), in the U.S. BMW proclaims to be “the world’s first carmaker now offering a 7-speed double-clutch gearbox specially conceived and designed for a high-speed power unit.” The convertible will have it in May; the M3 coupes and sedans, starting in July.

The M DKG system will feature 11 electronically controlled driving programs as well as Launch Control, shift lights and gear selection via steering-wheel paddle shifters or the center console selector lever. BMW says that not only will M DKG give the M3 quicker acceleration, but it also “reduces fuel consumption by a significant margin.” A 6-speed manual will also be available.

The M3 Convertible will feature MDrive for setting and retrieving the driver’s favorite engine-control mapping, suspension settings and DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) setup. [Road&Track]