Tag Archives: Bentley

News

Bentley’s New Playground: Crewe Opens the Gates to the Future of Luxury Engineering

If you think Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe is all tea, tweed, and men called Nigel polishing walnut veneers, think again. The British marque has just cut the ribbon on its brand-new Engineering Technical Centre – a 13,000-square-metre cathedral of science and sorcery where the future of luxury motoring will be hammered, coded, and stitched together.

Officially opened by Chairman and CEO Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser and R&D boss Dr. Matthias Rabe, this isn’t just another shiny office block with a few whiteboards and an espresso machine. This is where Bentley’s upcoming fleet of electrified, digitised, semi-autonomous chariots will go from napkin sketch to rolling reality.

So what’s inside? Picture two floors of hardcore engineering nerdery: a prototype workshop where tomorrow’s Bentleys will first draw breath, materials development labs sniffing out the leather, wood, and metals of the future, and a software integration hub where countless lines of code will learn how to play nice with 48-volt wizardry, high-voltage batteries, and whatever else engineers dream up after too much coffee.

The move is also a symbolic one. Much of this kit has been dragged out of the ageing A1 building – the oldest structure at the Pyms Lane site – which is now being prepped for full-blown BEV assembly from 2027. Yes, that’s Bentley-speak for “we’re going electric, properly this time.”

Dr. Rabe was suitably grand in his proclamation:
“Our Beyond100+ strategy maps out a fundamental programme of change… We’re working on the next generation of electrified driving, digitally connected cars, with driving autonomy that will achieve the highest levels of luxury mobility.”

And it’s not just the Technical Centre. Bentley’s Crewe HQ is undergoing a bit of a glow-up. There’s a new Design Studio, a soon-to-open Paint Shop, and an Integrated Logistics Centre in the works. It’s all part of a hefty investment in making sure that when Bentley goes all-in on electricity, it does so with the same swagger as a twin-turbo W12.

So, yes, the old guard of petrolheads may roll their eyes at the idea of a silent, software-driven Bentley. But step into this new Engineering Technical Centre, and you get the sense the brand isn’t mourning the past. It’s plotting a future where ultimate luxury doesn’t roar – it whispers.

And if you’re still craving that old-school Bentley thunder? Well, you’ve got until 2027.

Source: Bentley

News

Bentley Flying Spur Gets a Paintjob Picasso Would Applaud

You know how some people fade into the background? The Bentley Flying Spur does the exact opposite. Crewe’s artisans have gone full Renaissance painter with something they call “Ombré by Mulliner” – a paint finish that looks less like a car colour and more like Bentley hired Monet to airbrush the bodywork.

For the first time, Bentley’s four-door limousine has been dressed in this two-tone sorcery: a Topaz Blue nose melting into a Windsor Blue tail. The fade isn’t some lazy Photoshop filter either – it’s done entirely by hand, in the Bentley Dream Factory, by people with steadier wrists than a bomb disposal expert.

How steady? Well, the process takes 60 hours and two highly skilled paint techs, who spray, pause, blend, and basically dance around the Flying Spur like it’s a priceless canvas. The trick is keeping the transition perfectly symmetrical across the doors, sills, and roof. Any wobble, and you’ve just turned a £200,000 luxury saloon into an expensive tie-dye experiment.

Bentley isn’t stopping at blues either. Oh no. Mulliner’s paint alchemists have also cooked up Sunburst Gold to Orange Flame and Tungsten to Onyx. What you won’t see is any daft yellow-to-blue mash-up that accidentally produces green. This isn’t a primary-school art class – Bentley has curated the colour combos to avoid awkward halfway hues.

And here’s the thing: no two cars will ever look exactly alike. Each application is a one-off, depending on how the paints react in the moment. Think of it as automotive jazz – improvised, but always on key.

The first Ombré creation, a Continental GT, made its debut under the Californian sun at Monterey Car Week. Now the Flying Spur gets its turn in the spotlight, taking a bow at the Southampton International Boat Show. Boats, Bentleys, and blues that fade smoother than a Sinatra outro.

Bentley promises more colour combinations are on the horizon. Until then, the Flying Spur Ombré is the new benchmark in making every other luxury car in the marina car park look like it’s wearing off-the-peg paint.

Source: Bentley

Sale

A Full-Size Wooden Bentley Continental GT Is Up for Sale on eBay

When it comes to Bentleys, we’ve seen everything from bespoke Mulliner one-offs to ultra-luxury coachbuilt projects. But this might just be the most unusual Continental GT ever to surface: a life-size wooden replica of Crewe’s grand tourer, painstakingly sculpted from teak and marine-grade plywood, is currently listed for sale in Florida.

The car—if you can call it that—originates from Belgium, though its creator remains anonymous. What is known is that it took over 3,000 hours and thousands of hand-crafted pieces to assemble, with everything mounted on two massive wooden beams serving as the chassis. The attention to detail is staggering: the oversized mesh grille, bumper intakes, quad exhaust outlets, and oval headlamp housings all mimic the 2017 Continental GT, the generation that inspired this rolling sculpture. To highlight contrast, those elements were finished in a darker shade than the body.

Open the exposed-hinge doors, and the wooden artistry continues. Inside, you’ll find a dashboard, center console, and door panels arranged like the real car’s, along with carved seats featuring Bentley’s signature diamond-quilted upholstery pattern—albeit in low-relief wooden form. It’s not plush leather, but the craftsmanship is undeniable.

Mechanically, there’s no W-12 or V-8 lurking beneath the sculpted hood, but this Bentley is not entirely static. Thanks to a steering rack and exposed gear linkage, it can actually roll and steer. With steel axles and acrylic windows being the only non-wooden parts, even the wheels and tires are carved from timber. The whole thing tips the scales at around 2,000 pounds (907 kg)—less than half the weight of a real GT.

Currently displayed at Autosport Group in Boca Raton, Florida, the wooden Bentley is parked alongside a lineup of used luxury cars. But unlike its drivable cousins, this one is destined for collectors who value conversation pieces over horsepower. The asking price on eBay? $98,900. That’s significantly less than a new Continental GT, but still a princely sum for a car that won’t ever leave tire marks on asphalt.

There are caveats, too: the listing admits to visible cracks in some glued joints and minor interior wear. But imperfections aside, it remains an astonishing feat of craftsmanship.

As YouTuber Austin Campbell remarked after seeing it in person, this isn’t about speed or performance—it’s about the spectacle. A Bentley made of wood may not roar down the highway, but it does turn heads in a way no W-12 ever could.

Source: Austin Campbell via YouTube