Bentley, celebrating its centenary next year, has unveiled 100 special-edition Mulsannes. But these super-luxurious sedans don’t just bear founder W.O. Bentley’s name, they include an original piece of one his final creations, too.
It’s a limited edition of 100 and it is so special that each Mulsanne gets an actual slice of crankshaft from W.O.’s personal 1930 8 Liter car set into its armrest. It was the last car he designed for the company back in the day. The bespoke Bentley will make its public debut during Monterey Car Week in California next month.
Bentley’s internal coachbuilder, Mulliner, has designed the W.O. with almost a century’s worth of Bentley history in mind, with particular influence drawn from the 1930s, when Walter delivered his final project – the 8-litre. Buyers can opt for the W.O. package on any of the three Mulsanne derivatives currently offered.
The new flagship special edition, which can be specified in standard, Speed or Extended Wheelbase form, gets four wood types inside, as well as aluminum trim. The founder’s signature is also embossed on the headrests of the seats, which are wrapped in Bentley’s Fireglow and Beluga hides.
Outside, the car has special black wheels, extra chrome trim and enamel Onyx Black body paint, but the company says the customers will be able to choose other shades if they desire so. There are also small nameplates confirming the special status of this car on the bumper, wings and on the center of the wheels.
No changes have been made to the Mulsanne’s engine, which is a 6.75-litre turbocharged V8 that offers 505bhp (the Speed variant has 530bhp) and can accelerate the car from 0-62mph in 5.3sec (while the Speed takes 4.9sec).
Pricing for the special-edition models will be unique to each car, but given their rareness and level of customization, expect a very healthy increase on the standard car’s £229,360 starting price.
