When Daimler let slip that Maybach was on the chopping block, the German automaker reportedly insisted that ultra-luxury editions of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class would replace the doomed marque. We’re all for a smattering of low volume, seriously pricey S-Class variants, but will the richest and most influential Maybach buyers feel the same way?

Automotive News reports that Bentley is betting that stars like Jay-Z and Samuel L. Jackson will want more than a gussied-up Benz, and the luxury car make is sending out olive branches in the form of a letter campaign. The premium Volkswagen brand is asking the high-rollers to step into a Bentley Mulsanne or perhaps a top-shelf Continental GT. To help persuade VIPs to switch to Bentley, the automaker is inviting select Maybach owners to tour its Crewe, England home.

Given the fact that many typical soccer moms and dads can afford an ML-Class, we can see why some movie stars and sultans would want to steer clear of the Three-Pointed Star. But is Bentley really going to gain much by wooing the 200 annual Maybach buyers? If a few more rap stars roll in a Bentley in their next music video, then the answer would appear to be yes.

Somewhere around the world, floating amid a sea of crystal-clear water, is a Hatteras 100 Motor Yacht. It is hardly an ordinary boat.

Built for long passages, with a sturdy sea-keeping fiberglass hull, the Hatteras offers unparalleled engineering, meticulous craftsmanship and immense power. Its staterooms feature exquisite wood cabinetry, double bullnose moldings, and polished natural stone countertops. The main salon is equipped with plasma video screens and multi-channel surround sound for entertainment, while the pilot house features state-of-the art digital electronics for monitoring systems and navigation. And under the stern deck, there are twin 16-cylinder turbo diesel powerplants generating 2,400 horsepower each. It’s enough propulsion to move the 270,000-pound yacht through the water at speeds approaching 30 mph.

On open water, the 100-foot Hatteras is the ultimate expression of luxury and sport unequalled in its ability to project wealth and prestige. However, thirty percent of the world is land – with many a mile of paved road. All of which begs the question: What does an uncompromising Hatteras owner motor about in when they come ashore?

They drive their new Bentley Continental GT, of course.

Some cars look alright with decals. A Porsche 911 GT3 RS almost looks naked without them. But aBentley? The Continental Supersports Convertible (don’t ask us why it had to be a convertible) that four-time rally champion Juha Kankkunen drove to a record 205.48 miles per hour in Finland was adorned with more stickers than a first-grader’s lunchbox. Fortunately, the special edition commemorative model that followed was decidedly bereft of such livery. But now Bentley’s offering something in between with a new appearance package.

The ISR Mulliner package adds red-accented wheels and a red stripe with the words “Supersports ISR” running down the car’s flanks in a somewhat retro Porsche style. Which is fine, now that Porsche and Bentley are becoming sister brands under the Volkswagen Group umbrella. But we can’t help but feel that Bentley’s new CEO, Wolfgang Dürheimer, who came to the job from his position as head of Porsche’s R&D department, should have left this particular element behind in Stuttgart. Follow the jump for the full press release and scope out the images in the gallery below.

When tasked with creating the 2011 Continental GT, Bentley officials sought the assistance of those who knew the outgoing car best – its owners. Upon querying current and past Continental GT buyers about what they’d like to see in the new model, a surprisingly unified voice came back loud and clear: “Don’t screw up my car, but fix the sat-nav.” As far as owner surveys go, this type of response speaks volumes. Most apparent is that it speaks to the universal inadequacy of the outgoing car’s wayfinding electronics, but more importantly, it serves to underscore just how much of a bull’s-eye Bentley hit with the original model back in 2003. After all, who among us can’t think of a laundry list of improvements for our daily driver? This also goes some way toward explaining how the GT has been on the market for eight years while still selling in respectable numbers.

Of course, given ever-toughening emissions and crash standards to contend with, Bentley couldn’t simply shove a new infotainment system in the Conti’s dashboard and amble off to the pub job-done, so they set about improving the car in a million little ways so that it’s at once clearly new and fresh to the faithful, yet endearingly familiar. Surprisingly, much the same can be said for the Sultanate of Oman where Bentley hosted our first drive…

You know that old saying “don’t get caught with your pants down?” It means that you should always be prepared. But it also means that you literally shouldn’t get caught with your pants down. Too obvious? Tell that to Eugene Bernshtam, an auto dealer in the Chicago area who The Chicago Sun-Times reports was caught by police naked from the waist down in the front passenger seat of his 2006 Bentley.

Bernshtam reportedly told police that the reason he was found sans pants was because he had just urinated in an alley. Indecent exposure is a fairly serious crime that likely carries a hefty fine, so why was Bernshtam’s bail set at a steep $50,000? The (alleged) pantless luxury car driver also had a loaded hand gun in the car without a permit. Nice.

Bernshtam’s preliminary hearing will be held on November 9, and remember, pants are required in court.