How Bentley has shifted gears during the pandemic
Midway through its centenary year, we catch up with Bentley, spotlighting the new Bentayga, and the new Continental GT
![Bentley Continental Gt](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6T6dhkw5kjerYKQYmTYf3H-415-80.jpeg)
2020 is Bentley’s centenary year and before pandemic planning became everyone’s focus, the company had a number of special events, launches and new models lined up. For the most part, it’s managed to keep to its schedule, even if the usual glamorous launch itineraries have been swapped out for socially distanced virtual events and car loans.
This year also saw the retirement of Bentley’s Mulsanne model, the company’s former flagship. Cut from a different cloth than its suite of core models, the Bentley Mulsanne was a true throwback to an earlier era, hand-built on a bespoke platform and incorporating the final version of Bentley’s venerable L-Series V8 engine, originally introduced in 1959. Without the Mulsanne, and with the first all-electric Bentley coming ever closer (a date of 2025 has been suggested), the company is in a state of transformation, simultaneously trying to shape a more contemporary and sustainable definition of luxury, while taking care not to shed the sporting luxury ethos that has defined the brand for 100 years.
Bentley Bentayga in Alpine Green
This summer saw the introduction of a radically revised Bentayga, Bentley’s first foray into the SUV market. The car was originally launched in 2015 and although it has been a strong sales success, it’s never quite shaken its slightly compromised aesthetic image; the Bentayga began life as an ugly duckling. It had much in common with the original Porsche Cayenne, in that it fell short of conveying the key characteristics of its brand, despite containing all the key ingredients.
Since the original Bentayga’s debut, Bentley has gone on to create a triumphant new version of its Continental Grand Tourer, available both in droptop and coupe form with a choice of W12 (coupe only) or V8. It also produced a new generation Flying Spur, the four-door limousine that takes the reigns from the Mulsanne as the new flagship. Both GT and Flying Spur are effortlessly elegant, exceptionally powerful automobiles that also manage to be desirable luxury objects. Can the overhauled Bentayga keep up?
Bentley Continental Grand Tourer
The new car is no longer the ugly duckling of the flock. The detailing has been substantially overhauled, inside and out, with a new nose and new tailgate, both of which draw on the svelte but authoritative forms of the coupe and saloon. In total,1,000 changes differentiate the car from the 20,000 examples already sold (accounting for nearly half of all annual Bentley sales). Inside, there’s a welcome update of the touchscreen interface, bringing it more in line with the best offerings from elsewhere in the VW Group, along with digital dials, wireless phone charging, and an updated removable touchscreen for rear passengers. It goes without saying that the craft, detail and quality remain exceptionally high; this is one of the great contemporary automotive interiors. In 2+2 format (a mildly infuriating waste of space, given this car’s massive scale), every passenger is given a little kingdom of their own, a world of wood and leather.
On the road, the V8 Bentayga embodies that most fundamental of Bentley qualities – effortless power. You sit high, simultaneously commanding over and isolated from all that surrounds you. Refinement is second-to-none, with the engine relegated to a distant hushed rumble at low speeds. Nosing the beast around tight city streets isn’t without its perils, but the cameras and sensors do a good job of guiding you away from embarrassment and eternal YouTube infamy. On highways and fast A roads, the Bentayga is just as much a competent grand tourer as any other Bentley, albeit slightly less fuel efficient (relatively speaking) and not quite as well suited to fast twists and turns. What it does best is blast its way towards the distant horizon, enveloping its occupants with an unassailable sense of power and tradition.
The Continental GT coupe shares the Bentayga’s spirit but presents it in a different form. Both cars have a mechanical complexity akin to that of the highest-end audio or mechanical wristwatch - admirable to certain quarters but baffling to the rest of us. These are truly the last of the V8s. Bentley is working furiously on every aspect of electrification, hoping that the switch from internal combustion to battery is as seamless as possible. Both GT and Bentayga have reached their apogee; it remains to be seen where next to go.
Bentley Continental GT
Bentley Bentayga in Alpine Green
Bentley Bentayga in Alpine Green
Bentley Bentayga in Alpine Green
INFORMATION
Bentley Continental GT V8, from £151,800
Bentley Bentayga V8, from £133,255
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Feel at home at Auberge, Château La Coste's new inn for culture lovers
Auberge La Coste sits at the heart of the art-filled estate, minutes away from the joyful town of Aix-en-Provence
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
This Nova Lima apartment is a Brazilian family oasis with striking Minas Gerais views
A Nova Lima apartment designed by Jacobsen Arquitetura celebrates its long, natural Minas Gerais vistas
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
Bentley rolls out the latest version of its majestic grand tourer, the Continental GT Speed
Available as both coupé and convertible, the fourth generation Bentley Continental GT Speed harnesses hybrid power to become a record breaker for the brand
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Zoute Grand Prix is a car fest like no other at a pristine Belgian beachside town
Amy Serafin takes to the well-heeled streets of Knokke-Heist to experience the Zoute Grand Prix, its annual cavalcade of classic car-related events, from a rally to an auction
By Amy Serafin Published
-
Bentley goes big with an extended, Mulliner-trimmed version of its Bentayga SUV
The Bentley Bentayga EWB Mulliner is the luxury manufacturer’s new flagship, a high-riding limousine that marks a sea-change in how we perceive the very best of an automotive brand
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Bentley Blower Jr shrinks and electrifies the stately form of a racing classic
The Little Car Company’s latest project takes an interwar icon and transforms it into an electric city car for the modern rake
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Bentley’s Mulliner division enters a purple patch with the Batur
Just 18 examples of the new Bentley Batur will be built for customers, designed as the ultimate platform for creative specifications and a showcase for in-car craft and design
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Flexjet takes to the skies with Bentley
Flexjet brings exclusive Bentley interiors to its new Gulfstream G650 jet and Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, in the smoothest of transfers
By Jessica Klingelfuss Published
-
Peugeot’s sparky 308 gets hybrid power and handsome lines
The Peugeot 308 proves that mass-market design needn’t be dull, blending hybrid power with sharp lines and excellent detailing
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
BMW Motorrad brings out the big guns for its newest cruisers
BMW Motorrad R 18 Bagger and Transcontinental set the tone for high-voltage cruising with a brand collaboration with speaker specialist Marshall
By George Chapman Last updated