The flagship Mulsanne convertible edges closer to production
Bentley calls this dreamboat here, three tons of hair-flung opulence, a "concept." But Bentley has a proud tradition of magnificent and over-the-top (pun intended) grand touring convertibles: the Azure. The Corniche. The, uh, other Continental. Bentley's ultra-lux four-seater convertibles resemble their bricklike flagships with the roofs cut off, because they are. And they're all the more extravagant for it.
So, here then is the appropriately-named Bentley Grand Convertible, based on the Mulsanne, and "a highly exclusive, extremely limited collector’s piece," said CEO, Wolfgang Dürheimer.
Under his reign, Bentley first began developing a Mulsanne convertible two years ago, even going as far to show it at Pebble Beach as a "design exercise." Development stalled in favor of the SUV when Dürheimer left to work on Audi projects. But a year later, the desks were reshuffled, new business cards printed, and he returned to take charge of Bentley. First things first: both the SUV and the convertible are back under development.
"When I returned, I was a bit irritated by the fact that no work had been done on this project in two years," he told Automotive News at this year's Pebble Beach. "It is back on track."
Exclusive? We got your exclusive right here: The hood and windshield frame are brushed "liquid metal." The 20-inch unidirectional wheels are hand-finished and polished. The Burr Walnut tonneau cover is the largest single hunk of wood ever used by Bentley. Fourteen hides of leather are diamond-stitched across the interior, and the tops of the doors are cross-stitched by hand with Beluga leather (which is not made from actual belugas).
That color? It's called Sequin Blue, a thoroughly bespoke color, and the press release boldly maintains that it's derived from "a single sequin from a customer’s haute couture gown." Rumors that that customer was Victoria Beckham could not be confirmed.
The Grand Convertible shares its ludicrously powerful 6.75-liter twin-turbo V8 engine with the Mulsanne Speed, producing 530 hp and 811 lb-ft of torque, suggesting further use as a Port of Los Angeles tugboat.
Bentley hasn't had a peasant-crushing convertible since the Azure went away in 2009, actually -- since the Mulsanne has never taken its top off. (The Brooklands coupe made just a three-year appearance during that time.) Hey, the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead is lonely at the top. Bentley is keeping its cards close to its chest to call this a "concept," but it knows its clientele well enough that we can put that word in quotes. See you on the French Riviera.
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