Tag Archives: Continental GT

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

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

New Bentley Continental Supersport: A Sledgehammer Wrapped in a Silk Glove

Spy shots don’t lie. Somewhere deep in the Midlands, Bentley’s engineers have been unleashing their latest monster on public roads – and it’s hard to miss. A comically large rear wing, quad exhausts the size of drainpipes and bodywork that still looks suspiciously polite for something this serious. But beneath the camouflage lies Crewe’s answer to a question nobody asked: what happens when a luxury grand tourer decides it wants to pick fights with supercars?

The answer? The return of the Continental Supersports nameplate – and it’s shaping up to be the wildest Bentley of the modern era.

Goodbye W12, Hello Leaner, Meaner V8

Last time we saw a Supersports, back in 2017, it was lugging around a twin-turbo W12 with 700 horses and all the subtlety of a sledgehammer in a Savile Row suit. But the W12 is now in retirement, sipping cocktails on a beach somewhere while regulators sharpen their knives.

In its place, Bentley is doubling down on its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, massaged to around 640bhp. That’s less than the plug-in hybrid GT Speed, which boasts a faintly ridiculous 771bhp, but the Supersports isn’t here to play the numbers game. It’s here to deliver something Bentley hasn’t dared offer in decades: purity. No hybrid boost, no electric motor, just petrol, turbos, and rear-wheel drive.

Yes, rear-wheel drive. A Bentley that wants to drift. Let that sink in.

Weight Watchers, Crewe Edition

Here’s the kicker: the Supersports could be the lightest Bentley in living memory. Where the GT Speed tips the scales at a chubby 2459kg, the Supersports is targeting closer to 2000kg. That’s still “two Minis and a labrador,” but in Bentley terms, it’s practically anorexic.

How? By ditching the plug-in gubbins, binning the rear seats, bolting in carbon fibre everything (including the roof), fitting skeletal bucket seats, and whispering sweet nothings to Akrapovic for a titanium exhaust. Oh, and carbon-ceramic brakes, lightweight wheels… you get the picture. It’s a crash diet that might just pay off, because insiders say it’ll still do 0–60mph in 3.1 seconds.

Aerodynamics with Attitude

The Supersports isn’t about being understated. This isn’t the sort of Bentley you quietly valet at a country club. This is a Bentley that wants everyone in the postcode to know it’s arrived.

That rear wing seen in the spy shots? Staying. Aggressive air intakes, ground-hugging skirts, and extended aero trickery? All coming to production. The effect is more “Le Mans pit lane” than “Knightsbridge boulevard.”

Luxury, But Turned Up to Eleven

Of course, this is still a Bentley. Which means you’ll still be able to trim the cabin in ostrich leather, order bodywork in a one-off Mulliner paint scheme that takes six weeks to apply, and have your initials embroidered into the seats. The difference here is that you’ll be doing all that while sitting in a 200mph, rear-driven, carbon-clad brute.

And it’ll cost you. Starting price? £400,000. For reference, that’s nearly double the GT Speed. But don’t bother checking your savings account – the first batch of cars shown to hand-picked customers has already resulted in signed cheques.

So, what is the new Continental Supersports? Think of it as Bentley’s reminder that while others bang on about electrification and sustainability, Crewe still knows how to build a proper hooligan. It’s a halo car. A statement. A two-tonne, £400k fire-breathing love letter to excess.

Bentley wants this car to prove that its DNA isn’t just about luxury, but about speed, drama, and performance. Judging by what we’ve seen so far, the Supersports might just pull it off. And if nothing else, it’ll be the most fun you can have in a Bentley with your rear seats missing.

Source: Autocar