Bentley Mulliner is celebrating its 1000th bespoke commission since its own dedicated design team was formed. In 2014 the increasing demand for bespoke and personalised vehicles was recognised by Mulliner and a dedicated team was formed.
Since then, this highly talented Mulliner team has produced numerous bespoke cars for customers across the Middle East, most notably in the form of the Bentayga Mulliner Pearl of the Gulf, Bentayga Falconry by Mulliner, Mulsanne Sinjari and Mulsanne Majestic limited edition models.
The 1000th bespoke project is for a European customer who wanted two specific interior features to extend the personalisation of their Bentley. The first request was the application of Olive Ash - a veneer associated with the heritage of Mulsanne - to the interior of a Bentayga. The second was to introduce a contrast twin stitch to the upper areas of the seats and door trims adding further contrast to the interior.
Seven years earlier, the first project was a small limited edition of 15 vehicles which focused on increased levels of passenger comfort - the Flying Spur Serenity. The seats and headrests were re-engineered and as part of the broader redesign a new and unique diamond quilting throughout the cabin was introduced to create a truly bespoke feel. This unique textured leather formed the inspiration of the diamond design that can be seen in the current Continental GT Mulliner today.
In celebrating this project milestone, the Mulliner Design team has shared some of their favourite examples from the last seven years. Their work spans the entire Bentley model range over that time – from jet-fighter inspired Continentals, to Mulsannes that celebrated its 6¾-litre V8 engine, and even a Bentayga that had different interior trim specifications between the driver and passenger sides.
The 1000 bespoke projects since 2014 range from personalised, bespoke treadplates all the way to completely unique and Coachbuilt projects like the Bentley Mulliner Bacalar, and include regional and global commissions, limited series and even race cars designs.
The specialist team, itself part of the Bentley Design department, consists of designers and digital artists to create the perfect blend of impeccable design with the ability to produce photo-realistic renders of customers’ designs before orders are placed. This single team, responsible for every Mulliner-designed product over the last seven years, has allowed for a deeper integration of core Bentley design DNA into Mulliner products while also expanding the scope of possibility to the customer.
The Mulliner Design offering is a core part of Bentley’s Mulliner portfolio strategy, with the team working across all three parts of Bentley’s bespoke and personalisation division – from Classic, to Coachbuilt, to Collections. The team led the 12 customers of the Bentley Mulliner Bacalar through their design choices over Zoom during the pandemic, helped guide the 12 clients of the Blower Continuation Series in their specifications, created the Mulliner versions of the Continental GT coupe and convertible, and also define and issue the Mulliner Personal Commissioning Guide that affords every Bentley customer the option to add any level of bespoke detailing to their car.
Paul Williams, Director of Mulliner and Motorsport, comments:
“Since 2014, our Mulliner Design team has averaged three customer commissions a week, showing just how popular bespoke Bentleys are becoming. The only thing all of those designs have in common is that they are for individual customers – apart from that, each one is as unique as the rest. The scope of what’s achievable with a standard production Bentley has now been brought to life by the team through the use of the dedicated Mulliner visualiser, which allows our customers to choose the colour and trim specifications of their cars with real-time photorealistic visualisation of the result.”
Middle East limited editions by Mulliner
Most recently in the Middle East, Bentley created the ultimate collector’s model inspired by the Arabian Gulf’s rich pearl diving heritage – the Bentayga Mulliner Pearl of the Gulf. Just five of these exquisite W12-powered cars were handbuilt by Mulliner, each featuring unique Mother of Pearl and Arabian Gulf-themed motifs.
The Bentayga Falconry by Mulliner, introduced in 2017, was the ultimate accessory for the falconry enthusiast, featuring a bespoke installation in the rear to house everything needed for a successful falconry expedition. This included a stowage tray with compartments for a GPS bird tracking unit, binoculars and leather bird hoods and gauntlets, as well as individual perches stored in a natural-cork-fabric-trimmed case
Taking inspiration from the prized Sinjari falcon, just four limited edition examples of the Mulsanne Sinjari were produced in 2016 for select customers in the Middle East. They featured captivating exterior colours as well as numerous other bespoke details, including goldplated transfer overlay images of the Sinjari Falcon inside the cabin.
And at the end of 2014, Mulliner unveiled another exclusive series of cars devoted solely to the Middle East region. With only 15 models produced, the ultra-exclusive Mulsanne Majestic took Bentley’s then-flagship model, the pinnacle in luxurious, handmade grand touring, to the next level.