Bentley Batur front view featuring diamond patterned gloss black grille with orange accents and sharp eagle eye shaped headlights with flying wings bentley badge on leading end.
Bentley Batur front view featuring diamond patterned gloss black grille with orange accents and sharp eagle eye shaped headlights with flying wings bentley badge on leading end.

Mulliner Coachbuilt

The ultimate personal commission

Mulliner Coachbuilt cars combine an incredibly wide range of rare artisanal skills, modern sustainable design and cutting-edge engineering and innovation, to deliver a service no other car manufacturer can match. As a result, Mulliner can create truly wondrous coachbuilt Bentleys. Not only do they exceed the unique demands of those who commission them, but they also set new standards in luxury design. In some cases, Mulliner creates a very limited, exclusive production run of vehicles that customers can tailor to their personal tastes. In others, the result is a single vehicle, built from the ground up to be truly unique.

 

For enquiries about coachbuilt cars, you can speak directly to a Bentley brand advisor by calling +44 (0) 1270 653 653.

Side view of Bentley Batur featuring 22 inch black polished directional alloy wheels and Bentley branded red brake calliper, with lower wing vent in view.

Bentley Batur by Mulliner

The car is named after a beautiful body of water – in this case Lake Batur, a crater lake in Kintamani on the island of Bali, Indonesia. The Bentley Batur* offers a preview of the styling, features and materials that will define Bentley in the years to come. *Model shown is in a pre-production state.
Close up view of Bentley Batur's seat in duo tone Beluga and Hotspur hide with contrast piping and Bentley wings emblem to head rest
close up view of Bentley Batur's front grille with orange accents.

A design revolution

A limited run
Power without precedent
A showcase of sustainable materials
Naim for Mulliner
As exquisite as it is exclusive

Limited to a production run of just 18 cars, the Batur is a sleek hard-top coupé, characterised by a new, minimalist design language that will define the Bentley style in the forthcoming electric car era. The incredible performance of the Batur, however, is driven by much more than its rapier-like silhouette. Beneath its gleaming bonnet lies the most powerful expression ever of the 6.0 litre, twin-turbocharged Bentley W12 engine. As the age of the petrol-powered grand tourer nears its conclusion, the Batur stands as an incredible celebration of this iconic powertrain.

The engine in the Bentley Batur goes beyond powerful. As the latest and greatest incarnation of Bentley’s trademark W12. It has been exclusively up-rated to deliver a power output in the region of 740PS. For the driver, this means a thrilling drive that pushes beyond even the extreme performance achieved by the Bacalar.

The way luxury cars are created is set to change significantly in the coming years – especially when it comes to the materials used in their construction. The Batur shows how Bentley leads the way in this brave new world, with a wealth of truly innovative features and finishes. High-performance composites made from flax offer a sustainable alternative to carbon fibre – strong and light yet with a much lower environmental footprint. Sustainably produced leathers are also available as an option exclusive to the Batur, using techniques that involve much less water and aldehyde than traditional tanning, as are carpets crafted from recycled yarn. Leather-like textiles made from by-products of the coffee roasting process are also used in the car.

The most exquisite in-car audio system ever created, the ‘Naim for Mulliner’ option is the result of 10,000 hours of development work, exceptional new hardware and a complete system recalibration. With a partnership spanning over 15 years, the ‘Naim for Bentley’ system was a solid foundation to start further development. Collaborating with Naim and Focal, over 56 requirements and recommendations were identified for the 20 speaker system for the Batur.

Innovative combinations of precision additive manufacturing (often referred to as 3D printing) and premium or precious metals offer new opportunities to create something unique. From the bespoke titanium exhaust finishers to the optional 18-carat gold interior detailing – which comes complete with a hallmark to validate its authenticity. Like virtually every aspect of this incredible car, there are opportunities for detailing and personalisation unlike those available for any other Bentley before it. High-gloss, laser-etched veneers, available in the unique W12 engine ‘soundwave’ design, allowed customers to commission unique finishes on a choice of high-gloss materials that includes lacquered or painted woods, carbon fibre and the Batur’s new flax-based natural fibre.

Bentley Bacalar with roof down in Chrome Yellow colour featuring 22 inch directional allow wheels and matt black front matrix grille with matrix wing vents in view

Bentley Bacalar by Mulliner

The ultimate expression of open-air luxury, the roofless Bentley Bacalar is an astonishing barchetta grand tourer. Its announcement in 2020 marked a return to coachbuilding for Mulliner, the oldest automotive coachbuilder in the world.
Interior view of Bentley Bacalar featuring Beluga hide - contrasted by Chrome Yellow hide over looking passenger side with tri spoke, indented steering wheel in view.
Close up view of rear tail light of the Bentley Bacalar by Mulliner in Chrome Yellow

A glorious return to coachbuilding

Open air exhilaration
An extremely rare sight

With no roof at all, the Bacalar is a genuine barchetta – a name given to roofless race cars in the early 20th Century, based on an Italian term for ‘little boat’. Beyond its open top, however, this luxurious, two-seat performance car has virtually nothing in common with those stripped-back early racers. Powered by an uprated, twin-turbocharged, 6.0 litre Bentley W12 engine, it can propel its occupants to incredible speeds. The exterior look of each car is the result of a collaboration with the individual customer, based on an unprecedented choice of rare materials, exclusive paint options and new design themes. 

Few people will be lucky enough to see a Bacalar on the road, but those who do, however, will be struck by its powerful haunches – the result of a rear track 200 mm wider than that of a Continental GT – and its 22” tri-finish wheels. Unique front and rear horizontal lights add to the forward-looking, dynamic character. A ‘wraparound’ cockpit design not only allows the interior and exterior design to blend together, but it also directs the air flow over the heads and around the sides of the occupants – combining exhilaration with extreme comfort.

A commissioning journey

The extremely low volumes involved mean that customers can collaborate directly with a Mulliner designer, resulting in a car with a specification unlike any other – a singular reflection of their tastes. For further information, or to express an interest in the next coachbuilt Mulliner car, please contact your chosen Bentley retailer – or alternatively call Bentley directly on +44 (0) 1270 653 653.

*Models shown are in a pre-production state

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Mulliner Speed Six Continuation

In the legendary Le Mans race of 1930, the Bentley team fought off fierce competition to take first and second place with its powerful Speed Sixes. Now, new Speed Sixes are due to roll out of the Bentley factory once again. Starting with the original Bentley blueprints, the Mulliner team has forensically studied every detail of the original works racing specification cars, before creating the first new Bentley Speed Sixes to be built in more than 90 years.

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The legendary Bentley Speed Six

Time for a victory lap
A journey back in time
A true powerhouse in it's day
A race that will never be forgotten
Ensuring authenticity

In 2021, Mulliner Classic embarked on its most ambitious and challenging project to date: the resurrection of a truly legendary coachbuilt Bentley, the 6½ litre Bentley Speed Six works racing specification. This was the car that won the 24 Heures du Mans in 1929 and 1930 – the final Le Mans victories of Bentley’s golden age. A series of just 12 cars will be built as part of the Speed Six Continuation Series.

Starting with the original Bentley blueprints, the team studied every detail of the Speed Sixes that raced at Le Mans in 1930, before forensically analysing and digitally scanning one of the few original cars to survive from that era. Together, these activities have made it possible to create the first ever digital models of the cars. The next stage involved making new components using the original blueprints, to match those of the actual cars. Using authentic hand tools, the team will now assemble the first new Bentley Speed Sixes to be built in more than 90 years.

Introduced in 1928, the Speed Six factory racing specification was the most successful racing Bentley of all time. The racing version was tuned to deliver 200 horsepower at 3,500 rpm – a phenomenal power output for the time – and its top speed was 125 mph (201 km/h). The Speed Six chassis was available to customers with a choice of wheelbases, including 138 inches (3,505 mm), 140.5 inches (3,569 mm), and 152.5 inches (3,874 mm), with the lighter, short chassis option proving the most popular. 182 Speed Six models were built between 1928 and 1930.

By the time the 24 Heures du Mans was held on June 21, 1930, the Great Depression had already taken hold. Few car makers could afford the investment involved in racing and consequently, only 33 cars were entered – of which just 19 made it to Le Mans. Of the 17 cars that started the race, five were Bentleys. Two were Blowers – the famous supercharged 4½ Litre models created by the Bentley Boy, Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin. The other three were fielded by the Bentley works team. Each was a Speed Six Le Mans – a high-performance variant of the renowned Bentley 6½ Litre. The field eventually narrowed to just two Bentley Speed Sixes, competing head-to-head for first and second place. After a prolonged duel, the car driven by Woolf Barnato and Glen Kidston proved victorious, cementing Barnato’s reputation as the most successful racing driver in Bentley history.

With the aid of an extensive research programme undertaken by Mulliner, alongside original blueprints and schemas, ‘Old Number 3’ Bentley Speed Six, was used as an important reference point on this project.

As one the three Speed Sixes entered into Le Mans in 1930 by Bentley, this immaculately preserved car is still raced by its owner has been a valuable source of information. 

The Speed Six is back

Production of the first new Bentley Speed Six cars in 92 years is now underway. The process began with the creation of a test and development car for the project, known as Car Zero. Twelve customer cars will follow, after which no more will be built. All the new cars are destined to become collector’s items, just like the originals on which they are based. Car Zero will be retained by Bentley, lining up alongside the Blower Car Zero as the forbears of all their respective Continuation Series descendants.

To make enquiries about the next car to be recreated by Mulliner Classic, please talk to you local Bentley dealer or contact us directly on +44 (0) 1270 653 653.
  

Detailed view of Hotspur hide featured in Bentley Mulliner Blower.
Side view of black coloured Bentley Mulliner Blower parked indoors

Mulliner Blower Continuation Series

In 2019, a plan was hatched to resurrect the supercharged Bentley 4½ Litre, more commonly known as the Blower. Bentley’s own original Team Blower was carefully stripped down so that every part could be catalogued and scanned, before being painstakingly rebuilt and restored to working order. The digital files were then used as the basis for the creation of the first new Bentley Blowers to be built in almost a century. Just 12 cars were created, for what was christened the Blower Continuation Series.

Front view of Bentley Blowe featuring two halogen headlamps in chrome grilled covering.
Close up view of Gloss black matrix grille featured in Bentley Blower.

Recreating the most famous racing Bentley

Recreating a legend
A journey through the annals of time
The story of the blower
A prototype classic car

In 2020, Mulliner Classic embarked on the first project in its Continuation Series. By combining the latest digital technology with time-honoured craft techniques, the team created a prototype of the first new Bentley Blower for close to 90 years – followed by a dozen new cars.

The team began work in earnest by sympathetically and carefully dismantling a priceless 1929 Bentley Team Blower. The aim was to catalogue and digitally scan each individual component, to create a complete digital model of this legendary car that could then be used as a blueprint for the new cars. Yet even after creating their digital catalogue and, crucially, restoring the Team Blower to its original state, significant challenges remained – starting with the availability of parts. Components for a car built in the Roaring Twenties can’t just be ordered online, after all. The team therefore made almost every part from scratch, in many cases using the original 1920s moulds and tooling jigs, to ensure they matched those in the original car exactly. They then assembled the first new coachbuilt Bentley Blowers to be built since the era of the Bentley Boys.

No other pre-war Bentley is as famous as the supercharged 4½ Litre that came to be known as the ‘Blower’. It emerged during Bentley’s racing heyday in the 1920s. W.O. Bentley was convinced that the most effective way to increase power was to build bigger engines. But one of his drivers, Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin, had seen the effect of superchargers on other cars and wanted to do the same to a Bentley. When W.O. refused, Birkin used a Roots-type supercharger developed by British engineer Amherst Villiers to increase the Bentley 4½ Litre’s power from 130 bhp to 240 bhp in race tune. He persuaded Bentley Chairman Woolf Barnato to sanction production of 55 supercharged 4½ Litre Bentleys, with financial support from Bentley Girl Dorothy Paget. While reliability issues meant it never won an endurance race, the Blower was the fastest racing car of its day. 

After 40,000 man-hours of work, the first new Bentley Blower in close to 90 years was complete. Blower Car Zero was a development prototype, built in advance of the customer cars and subjected to months of durability and performance testing. The test programme was designed to achieve the equivalent of 35,000 kilometres of real-world driving, including 8,000 kilometres of track driving. Sessions of gradually increasing duration and speed were used to check the car’s functionality and robustness, even under the harshest conditions. Car Zero’s successful completion of testing allowed the team to begin the assembly of the customer cars, each one individually specified and, of course, crafted by hand.

A story to be continued

As direct descendants of the original Team Blower, each of the new Continuation Series cars featured four-cylinder, 16-valve engines with an aluminium crankcase, cast iron cylinder liners and non-detachable cast-iron cylinder heads. The all-important supercharger, meanwhile, is an exact replica of the Amherst Villiers Mk IV roots-type supercharger, helping the 4,398 cc engine to develop 240 bhp at 4,200 rpm.

The car’s structure consists of a pressed steel frame, with half-elliptic leaf spring suspension and perfect copies of the original Bentley & Draper dampers. Recreations of Bentley-Perrot 40 cm (17.75”) mechanical drum brakes and worm and sector steering complete the chassis.

This was the first Mulliner Continuation Series, followed by the Speed Six Continuation Series. To make enquiries about this or any other vehicle from Mulliner Coachbuilt, please talk to your local Bentley dealer or contact us directly on +44 (0) 1270 653 653.