Tag Archives: Bentley

News

Bentley’s First Electric SUV Takes Shape in the Arctic

Bentley’s transition into the electric era is beginning to look very real indeed. Spotted undergoing cold-weather testing in northern Sweden, the British marque’s first fully electric vehicle has been revealed in its most production-ready form yet, shedding much of the heavy camouflage that cloaked earlier prototypes.

Officially due to be unveiled towards the end of next year, the model – internally referred to as Bentley’s “Luxury Urban SUV” – represents a landmark moment for the Crewe-based manufacturer. And while some key design elements remain hidden, what’s now visible offers a compelling first look at how Bentley intends to translate its traditional values into an electric future.

Without the bulky disguises of earlier test mules, the SUV’s proportions are far clearer. A Bentayga-inspired bonnet line sits above production-spec front lighting, while a wide, low stance gives the car a planted and purposeful presence. The overall silhouette is notably monolithic, drawing strong inspiration from the EXP 15 concept, signalling that Bentley is serious about carrying concept-car drama into its production EVs.

That said, Bentley is still keeping its cards close to its chest. Portions of the nose and rear remain covered, concealing the final details of the design. Even so, the car already looks unmistakably Bentley – an important consideration for a brand entering unfamiliar territory.

For the first time, photographers have also caught a glimpse inside the cabin, and here the blend of old and new becomes even more apparent. Traditional Bentley cues remain front and centre, particularly the familiar round, metal air vents carried over from the Bentayga. Alongside them, however, is a clear step forward in digital technology, borrowed from the closely related Porsche Cayenne Electric.

A 14.25-inch curved digital instrument display sits ahead of the driver, complemented by a large 14.9-inch central infotainment touchscreen. The layout suggests Bentley is aiming to balance tactile luxury with cutting-edge tech, rather than abandoning its heritage in favour of minimalist futurism.

Underneath, the electric SUV will ride on the PPE platform jointly developed by Porsche and Audi. While Bentley has yet to confirm detailed specifications, R&D boss Matthias Rabe has already hinted at one of the car’s headline features: charging speed. According to Rabe, the EV will be capable of adding up to 100 miles of range in just six and a half minutes, putting it among the fastest-charging electric vehicles on the market.

Such performance implies charging rates of up to 350kW, placing the Bentley just behind the Lotus Emeya, which currently leads the UK market with 400kW capability. Of course, real-world charging will depend heavily on infrastructure, with the average UK charger delivering closer to 120kW. Nevertheless, the figures underline Bentley’s ambition to make EV ownership as seamless as possible.

Rabe also offered bold claims about the car’s dynamic ability, describing it as “very comfortable like a Flying Spur and agile like a Continental GT”. He added that both its 0–100mph and 0–200mph acceleration times would be “very fast”, concluding confidently that it will be “the best Bentley on the road”.

Positioned below the Bentayga, the new EV will be the shortest SUV in Bentley’s lineup, measuring under five metres in length. Its compact footprint is central to its “urban” positioning, with Rabe emphasising a tight turning radius to improve manoeuvrability in city environments – a notable shift for a brand traditionally associated with grand scale.

While Bentley has yet to confirm how closely its EV will mirror the Porsche Cayenne Electric mechanically, the similarities are difficult to ignore. The Cayenne Electric uses dual-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrains ranging from 400bhp to 805bhp, with launch control pushing output close to 1000bhp in range-topping form. A 108kWh battery provides an estimated range of up to 373 miles, offering a useful benchmark for what Bentley’s version might deliver.

Bentley CEO Frank Walliser has confirmed the electric SUV will debut “towards the end of 2026”, with customer deliveries beginning the following year. Importantly, he stressed that the timeline will remain unchanged regardless of fluctuations in global EV demand.

Attention to craftsmanship remains a core part of the story. Rabe revealed that the interior will feature 30 square metres of leather, assembled using 150 metres of thread and an extraordinary 130,000 stitches – figures that underline Bentley’s determination to preserve its artisanal identity in the electric age.

Walliser summed up the significance of the project: “Our first fully electric Bentley, the world’s first true luxury urban SUV, represents a bold step forward. It embodies our vision for sustainable luxury and technological excellence.”

“With industry-leading charging capability and unmistakable Bentley character and design, it marks the beginning of an exciting new era for our brand – a future defined by innovation, craftsmanship and sustainability.”

If this early prototype is anything to go by, Bentley’s electric future is shaping up to be every bit as ambitious as its past.

Source: Autocar

News

Bentley Flying Spur Speed Sets a New Meaning for “All-Weather Performance”

Winter testing usually means cold starts, numb fingers, and a polite nod toward traction control. Bentley, however, decided to rewrite the rulebook—again. At the world’s northernmost active race circuit, just 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle, the Flying Spur Speed has claimed a new winter lap record, proving that four doors and a luxury badge don’t preclude serious performance when the surface turns hostile.

The venue was Drivecenter Arena in Fällfors, northern Sweden, a former military airbase repurposed into a 2.05-mile circuit. In summer, it’s demanding. In winter—when the entire track is buried under roughly 12 inches of ice and snow—it’s borderline absurd. Yet Bentley’s flagship performance sedan circulated the circuit in under three minutes, posting a best lap of 2:58. No car has ever gone quicker here in winter conditions.

That headline time becomes even more impressive when you consider the details. Peak speed during the run touched 120 mph, despite the longest straight measuring just 450 meters and being covered in polished sheet ice. This wasn’t a gentle demonstration run; it was a full-commit lap, with the Flying Spur’s variable all-wheel-drive system and rear-wheel steering working overtime to deliver agility that simply shouldn’t exist on a frozen runway masquerading as a racetrack.

A Record Rooted in Bentley History

Bentley didn’t arrive at this challenge on a whim. The winter lap record was inspired by the brand’s own back catalog of improbable achievements: the Ice Speed Records of 2007 and 2011, and the lesser-known but no less astonishing 1986 endurance feat, when a Turbo R averaged 140 mph for an hour around the banked bowl at Millbrook Proving Ground.

In a thoughtful nod to that legacy, the record-setting Flying Spur—registration Y15 BML—was specified to mirror the Turbo R from Bentley’s Heritage Collection. Finished in Brooklands Green with yellow fine lines, and trimmed inside in Linen, Cumbrian Green, and Open Pore Walnut, the car also marked the Turbo R’s 40th anniversary. It’s a reminder that Bentley’s obsession with speed hasn’t replaced its reverence for tradition; it has simply evolved.

Ultra Performance, Electrified

Underneath the heritage paintwork lies Bentley’s most advanced Flying Spur yet. The Speed is powered by an Ultra Performance Hybrid system pairing a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with an electric motor integrated into an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. In Sport mode, the numbers read like something from a super-sedan fantasy league: 782 horsepower and 1,000 Nm of torque.

The electric motor contributes instant response, smoothing throttle inputs and amplifying traction—especially valuable on ice—while the V8 delivers its trademark cross-plane soundtrack. In pure EV mode, the Flying Spur still produces 190 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque, enough to blend seamlessly into everyday traffic. A 25.9-kWh battery provides up to 47 miles of electric-only range on the EU cycle, while total driving range stretches to 515 miles. Full electric running is possible at speeds up to 87 mph, with up to 75 percent throttle application—numbers that quietly redefine what “EV mode” means in a Bentley.

Chassis Tech That Earns Its Keep

The real hero of this Arctic achievement, however, lives beneath the bodywork. The Bentley Performance Active Chassis comes standard on the Flying Spur Speed and includes Dynamic Ride, all-wheel steering, an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, and a new generation of ESC software. That software allows a broad spectrum of driving styles—from ironclad stability to something far more playful. For the record run, ESC was switched off entirely.

With a rear-biased weight distribution of 48.3:51.7, the Flying Spur gives its chassis systems an inherently balanced foundation. Active torque vectoring shuffles power front to rear via the center differential, while brake-based vectoring fine-tunes distribution across each axle. On dry pavement, that means sharper turn-in and cleaner exits. On snow-covered sheet ice, it’s the difference between motion and inertia.

Luxury, Redefined by Capability

What makes this winter lap record remarkable isn’t just the stopwatch—it’s the context. This is a full-size luxury sedan, trimmed in walnut and leather, capable of whisper-quiet electric cruising one moment and near-racing commitment the next, all while operating on a surface better suited to studded tires and snowmobiles.

Bentley has long argued that true performance should be usable, not conditional. With the Flying Spur Speed, that philosophy has now been tested—and validated—within sight of the Arctic Circle. In doing so, Bentley hasn’t just set a record. It has delivered a reminder that modern luxury, when engineered properly, doesn’t retreat when conditions worsen. It thrives.

Source: Bentley

NEW CARS

Mulliner’s Dutch Masters Collection Blends Art History With Horsepower

Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum has held its share of masterpieces, but it’s not every day that three one-off Bentleys take their place among Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Gogh. At a special event hosted in the museum’s Gallery of Honour, Bentley and its bespoke division, Mulliner, unveiled the Dutch Masters Collection—a trio of Continental GTs that reinterpret the palettes, textures, and symbolism of iconic Dutch art.

More than 200 guests from Bentley’s Dutch dealerships gathered first for a virtual reveal, then for an evening inside the country’s most revered art space—an appropriately dramatic backdrop for cars that blur the line between coachbuilding and canvas.

Car 01: Rembrandt’s “Night Watch” Reimagined

Rembrandt’s 1642 Night Watch never lacked drama, and neither does Mulliner’s corresponding Continental GT Convertible. Draped in Midnight Emerald, the car picks up the painting’s deep shadows, while its interior splashes of Hotspur red riff on Captain Frans Banninck Cocq’s famous sash. A combination of Magnolia and Cumbrian green hides softens the cabin, echoing the lieutenant’s coat and the painting’s muted tones.

Gold organ stops add a subtle baroque flourish, but the real showpiece comes when the door opens at night: an illuminated animation of a floating feather—an Easter egg nodding to the lieutenant’s hat in the center of the canvas. Feather motifs continue across the door cards, set against Dutch Masters badging that reminds you this Bentley is not just a car, but a one-off piece of rolling art.

Car 02: Vermeer’s Light, Captured in Metal and Leather

Few artists command light the way Johannes Vermeer did, and Mulliner’s Vermeer-inspired Continental GT aims to distill that luminance into automotive form. The exterior’s Sapphire satin finish immediately sets a different tone—cool, reflective, almost Delft-like in its purity. A panoramic sunroof ensures daylight floods the cabin just as Vermeer did with his window-lit interiors.

Inside, Beluga and Ocean blue hides establish a calm foundation, broken up by daring flashes of Citric yellow and seat piping in Klein blue. Mulliner looked to Vermeer’s The Little Street for the welcome lamp animation and door card imagery, capturing its rolling clouds with surprising delicacy. The Bentley Rotating Display even receives a hand-painted inner ring and a Klein blue bezel—small touches that elevate the whole car from homage to interpretation.

Car 03: Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” Now in Dark Sapphire and Khamun

If Rembrandt delivered gravitas and Vermeer contributed serenity, then Vincent van Gogh brings emotion—turbulent, color-charged, and unmistakably expressive. Mulliner’s third entry, a Continental GT in Dark Sapphire with Khamun yellow pinstriping, channels the whirling sky of The Starry Night without resorting to mere imitation.

The interior leans heavily on Imperial blue, Dark Sapphire, Linen, and Khamun, a near-direct translation of Van Gogh’s Post-Impressionist palette. Illuminated welcome lamps and etched door panels recreate the painting’s swirling sky, while a dual-finish Piano Linen veneer bisected by a hand-painted Dark Sapphire pinstripe anchors the theme. Open-pore chiselled Walnut across the center console and gold knurled organ stops finish the look with texture and warmth—Van Gogh through a luxury lens.

The Art, Beyond the Cars

Each Dutch Masters Bentley comes with a bespoke presentation key box trimmed in its car’s hides. Open it, and you’ll find laser-etched artwork—feather, clouds, or starry sky—on the inner lid. Mechanically, all three cars share Blackline and Touring specifications, body-colored styling kits, wellness seating, mood lighting, the Bentley Rotating Display, and a Naim for Bentley audio system. In other words: they’re as modern and technologically complete as any Continental GT, just dressed with a level of artistic intention rarely seen in automotive design.

Art Meets Engineering—Literally

Most manufacturers love calling their cars “works of art.” Mulliner’s Dutch Masters Collection is one of the few times that claim holds up to scrutiny. These Continentals don’t merely borrow color palettes—they translate light, iconography, and mood. They’re reinterpretations of three world-famous masterpieces, crafted not for galleries, but for the open road.

And inside the Rijksmuseum, surrounded by centuries of history, these Bentleys didn’t look out of place. That might just be the highest compliment an automotive designer can hope for.

Source: Bentley