2000 Bentley Continental T

Meanwhile, its standard-features list reads like a Who's Who of world-class accoutrements. In addition to all the "usual" stuff, the 750iL delivers such standard delicacies as Xenon headlights with dynamic auto-leveling, Park Distance Control to guide you into tight parking spaces, 16-way power front seats that can be practically molded to your body, microperforated leather upholstery for optimum breathability, heated leather-clad steering wheel, power-adjustable heated rear seats, onboard navigation system, and, for a final touch of class, recessed lamps behind the exterior door handles. In fact, the car's only two options are rear-seat side-impact airbags and break-resistant security glass.

As precise as it is enthusiastic, the 750iL is an incredibly savvy car, with the soul of a cheetah and the high-tech air of a Silicone Valley R&D lab. Any of these brutes can spin its tires raw; only a precious few can muster equal amounts of elegance and accelerative power-Rik Paul

Ford F-350 Super Duty
410 Lb/Ft @ 2650 Rpm
Like Commuting In A B-52
Pound for pound, inch for inch, capability for capability, the Ford F-350 Super Duty Crew Cab V-10 is the best vehicular value on earth.

For $33,085-less than a loaded Lexus ES300-our 6660-pound, 7-plus-yard-long, 6-foot-6-inch-tall, 8-foot-wide Crew Cab's list of boasts starts with generous leather-wrapped room for six full-size, Stetson-wearing wranglers. It can haul enough gear-2.7 tons worth!-to keep a Marine squad operational for a month. The truck's torquey V-10 has the grunt to yank a 10,600-pound trailerful of horses through Montana, yet it tops out at only 96 mph, where its electronic speed limiter spoils the fun. Unloaded, it sprints 0-60 mph right at 10 seconds. (Its lighter F-250 Super Duty V-10 sibling hustles to 60 mph in 8.0 seconds.) And it pampers with amenities-like an AM/FM/CD player and remote keyless entry.

The 6.8-liter SOHC Triton V-10, essentially a 5.4-liter V-8 with an extra pair of cylinders grafted on, may be the best of Ford's Modular engine family. At just 1000 rpm, it twists an impressive 350 pound-feet of torque, and by a leisurely 2650 rpm, peaks out at an awesome 410 pound-feet. The Triton doesn't run out of breath near its redline, but its torque-oriented tuning means it reaches but a "mere" 275 horsepower.

To get the smoothness of the V-10-ideal power stroke every 72 degrees of crankshaft rotation, this engine employs stepped connecting-rod journals, while a counter-rotating balance shaft quells vibration inherent with a 90-degree V-10. Though its torque peak falls short of the Dodge Ram's pushrod 8.0-liter V-10, the Super Duty earned the right to be the lone pickup in this roundup since its V-10 is Ford's torquiest offering...and we imposed a limit of one vehicle per manufacturer.

Negotiating city traffic in a dual-rear-wheel, Crew Cab, long-bed Super Duty is like flying a B-52: It's more than huge, and a bit unwieldy, but it commands respect-or, at least, a wide berth-from fellow commuters. If you feel claustrophobic in rush-hour traffic, just wag those gnarly rear fenders around a bit and you're all by yourself. If that doesn't work, flash 'em the huge sea-of-chrome grille.
-Mac DeMere

Driving Miss Bentley
Battling the anarchy of L.A. traffic in the Bentley Continental T was a Career-Limiting Move looking for a place to happen. So much as a parking-lot door ding on the $300,000 machine, and I'd be road-testing lawn and garden equipment at the boss' house. My career flashed before my eyes numerous times as I negotiated the power oversteer slide and a massive Pirelli-melting, never-before-seen-in-a-Bentley burnout for the photographer. Does anyone else have a job like this?
-Mac DeMere