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Bentley celebrates its founder with the Mulsanne W.O. Edition by Mulliner

July 10, 2018, marked the beginning of Bentley's centenary celebration. We can look forward to a year of commemorations, starting with the Mulsanne W.O. Edition by Mulliner, limited to 100 units. The sedan, available in standard, long-wheelbase, and Speed versions, celebrates founder Walter Owen Bentley and his 1930 8 Litre. The founder's personal car, the last vehicle he designed for his company and the second example off the production line, wore a coachbuilt body from Henry Jervis Mulliner & Co. That's the same Mulliner firm that personalizes Bentleys to this day. Walter Owen didn't get to enjoy his "ultimate expression of automotive engineering" for long; financial troubles forced him to sell it in 1931. Bentley bought the 8-Litre in 2006, and part of the "sympathetic" restoration meant replacing the crankshaft. That crank is the central feature of the W.O. Edition Mulsanne: Bentley cut the crankshaft into 100 pieces, and will place each piece inside a custom, illuminated cocktail cabinet in the rear quarters of the 100 special Mulsannes. Four different woods and aluminum create a marquetry scene that frames a glass display with the emblematic crankshaft. Around that, the show vehicle gets Heritage Hides in Fireglow, with Beluga details and stitching, Dark Stain Burr Walnute veneers, and Fireglow lambswool carpets. The exterior's drenched in Onyx, with Beluga Black wheels, accessorized by a chrome hood strip, optional chrome grille and surround, and discrete special edition badging. Customers can, naturally, option their own W.O. Edition Mulsannes any way they wish. Bentley's chosen to skip Goodwood as the reveal of this particular treat. The public unveiling comes on our shores, at next month's Monterey Car Week, on Aug. 24. Related Video:

2014 Bentley Continental GT V8 S

Bentley still appeals to those with an appreciation for strong, Old World traditionalism. Cars wearing the storied Flying B have been discussed in wood-paneled drawing rooms by men wearing earthy tweeds and corduroy through clouds of fragrant cigar and pipe smoke, for decades. It is a company that has spent nearly 100 years building cost-no-object autombiles, for rich drivers who require a tremendous way to waft above the Sturm und Drang of mortal motoring.
The Bentley Continental GT, while unmistakably a party to that legacy of wooly privilege, has always seemed better suited to the nouveau riche than the landed gentry. The Mulsanne and the Continental Flying Spur still carry forward the brand's heritage of unfathomably fast, gargantuan sedans, while the GT has been busy inveigling an entirely new class of buyer with its lottery-win good looks.
A microsecond version of that analysis was all I had time for as I careened around another heroic left-hand sweeper in this Ice (white) 2014 Bentley Continental GT V8 S. For a car with roots in rainy England and German-engineering genes, the V8 S felt remarkably at home while crushing the desert-strewn distance between San Diego and Palm Springs - almost the epicenter of the New World's Golden West.

Bentley recaps its 100 years in a $250k book

Bentley's 100th anniversary might be remembered more for the book that celebrates the milestone more than the cars. The carmaker worked with Opus, a "luxury publisher" with the tagline "Greatness immortalized greatly," on a tome that tells the story of the last 100 years. The limited-edition result of their work weighs roughly 66.5 pounds, is filled with exclusives, can be customized like a Bentley, and can cost more than a Bentley. There will be three versions, in Centenary printed in a run of 500, the Mulliner printed in a run of 100, and 100 Carat with just seven examples, representing the seven continents. All come wrapped in hand-bound leather from the same herds that provide hides to Bentley cars, buyers able to choose what color leather they prefer. The cover is adorned with nothing other than the same special Bentley badge that gets affixed to cars during this anniversary year. The content begins with a foreword penned by well known collector Ralph Lauren. Then the book spends nine chapters and more than 800 pages telling the story of W.O. Bentley and his Le Mans racers before lavishing time on the decades of brand-defining grand tourers, the limited editions, the one-offs, the designers, the craftsmanship, and the sports cars that have brought us to today's GTs and limousines. In the last chapter, called "The Future," current brand CEO Adrian Hallmark expands on what the next century will bring. Never-before-seen content in every edition includes historical photos, new photography shot by Opus, and gatefold pages with artwork that spreads nearly 6.5 feet when fully opened. The "entry-level" Centenary edition costs GBP3,000, or $3,800 in green money. The Mulliner edition adds extras like 20-inch by 24-inch Polaroid photos highlighting ten of Bentley's landmark cars, and 56 watercolors painted on silk paper. A piece of the left front Michelin tire from the Bentley Speed 8 that won Le Mans in 2003 will grace the inside cover of the Mulliner's clamshell case. Owners can go further with customization, having their own Bentley photographs included in their copies, or having their cars photographed by Opus to be included. More equipment means more money, the Mulliner edition costing GBP12,500, or almost $16,000. Beyond the Mulliner's bespoke options, the 100 Carat edition encrusts the book with 100 carats of diamonds and a wings badge set in either white gold or platinum.