Bentley is ramping up its Mulliner Coachbuilding arm with the reveal of an ultra-exclusive new model this year, of which only 10 will be made.
Bentley design director Stefan Sielaff confirmed the project, stating the car will be shown at the end of the year. “We will show a first idea of what we can do for 10 customers,” he said.
The car is set to cost in excess of £1m as Mulliner seeks to differentiate itself from the broader Bentley brand.
There are not yet any clues to the design or powertrain of the model, but it’s expected to hark back to Bentley’s early heritage and use a traditional petrol powertrain given its very limited numbers.
Sielaff said: “We have more and more customers asking for a very individual Bentley - almost a one-off or a series of 10. From our observations, if you look at society, the rich customers are getting richer.
“They come to us and say ‘I want the one and only Bentley tailor-made for myself’. In the old days, this was difficult for homologation but now we ramp up this idea.
He continued: “Of course we have to deal with [one-offs] very carefully, but I think this is a trend, it’s not only Bentley. It will be under the remit of Mulliner Coachbuilding, sitting on top off Bentley, and will definitely be something more expensive than a normal Bentley.”
Bentley has already seen success with a limited-edition Mulliner model this year. The Continental GT Number 9 Edition by Mulliner was revealed at the Geneva motor show and all 100 examples promptly sold out. The special edition model celebrates the brand’s 100th anniversary and sports design that echoes the 4 ½ Litre ‘Blower’ that raced at Le Mans in 1930.
More and more high-end car makers, such as Rolls-Royce and McLaren, are producing one-offs or limited editions, reacting to customer demand and the profit margins that can be achieved by such cars.
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Bentley marks 100th anniversary with Continental GT Number 9 Edition
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Lovelly
Potentates, Oligarchs, Dictators, Talentless Celebrities, Drug overlords, Social Media mavens and assorted other Parvenus must still form an orderly queue. Only Absolute Monarchy in the good old-fashioned feudal sense is what gets you the wherewithal to commission a cark park full of one-off cars c.f. the delightful Sultan of Brunei. Not the most pleasant way of turning a profit but the pragmatic Brits (marry money if your Dukedom is going down the drain) have always excelled in this rarefied and slightly iffy corner of the market. Lets see how the Germans make a fist of it.