Automotive

Bentley dives back into coachbuilding with exclusive Bacalar barchetta

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Mulliner steps back into the coachbuilding fold with the Bacalar
Bentley
Mulliner steps back into the coachbuilding fold with the Bacalar
Bentley
The Bacalar has a powerful stance underpinned by a rear track that's about an inch wider than that of the Continental GT
Bentley
The headlights are very clearly inspired by the 2019 EXP 100 GT concept car
Bentley
Mulliner turns the Continental GT Convertible into a two-seat, roofless barchetta
Bentley
Bentley
Power comes from a 650-hp version of the Continental GT's 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12
Bentley
The Bacalar includes an infotainment touchscreen that rotates away for a more classic look
Bentley
The touchscreen hides behind the dash, replaced by a river wood panel with gauges
Bentley
The rear seats of the Continental GT platform are replaced by compartments designed around bespoke Italian luggage
Bentley
A closer look at those headlights
Bentley
The taillights have a sharp, thin appearance, tucked neatly into the indent between the spoiler and bumper
Bentley
Bentley Bacalar sketch
Bentley
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Coachbuilding is something of a lost art today, but in a modern world searching for unique, refreshing ways of spending money, it seems ripe for a comeback. Bentley dips its toes back in the coachbuilding waters, tasking its Mulliner division with custom-building vehicle bodies for truly discerning buyers. The new Bacalar is the first fruit of Mulliner's labor, a roofless barchetta with concept-inspired looks and W12 power. The Bacalar is billed as Bentley's "most exclusive car of the modern era," and Mulliner will build only 12 before turning its attention to other bespoke-bodied creations.

Mulliner isn't starting from scratch so much as returning to the business on which it built its name. As Bentley explains, the family company got its start all the way back in the 1500s but rose to prominence in the late 1700s when it began coachbuilding carriages for the British Royal Mail service. By the late 19th century, Mulliner turned its attention away from horse-drawn carriages and toward motor car bodies, raising its profile alongside the growth of the automobile. In 1959, Rolls-Royce, Bentley's owner at the time, purchased Mulliner and brought its coachbuilding in-house, but the once great art of custom body building faded out of fashion the following decade.

Now a part of the VW-owned Bentley, Mulliner has been handling personalization and luxury limited editions, more recently adding classic continuations and restorations to its responsibilities. The introduction of the Bacalar marks its return to "Coachbuilding," a new division that joins "Classic" and "Collections" in Mulliner's expanded three-part structure.

Power comes from a 650-hp version of the Continental GT's 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12
Bentley

The Bacalar welcomes in the new era of Bentley Mulliner coachbuilding as a roofless roadster pulling inspiration from last year's celebratory EXP 100 GT. That concept-to-custom relationship becomes clear the minute you lock eyes with the distinctive headlamps that pair familiar Bentley ovals with thin light strips stretching out to the fenders. The grille and hood have been sized down to more practical dimensions, with aerodynamic bodywork like hood vents and a front splitter creating a more aggressive aesthetic.

Bentley promises that the aluminum-and-carbon fiber Bacalar does not share a single body panel with any other vehicle in its lineup, relying only on the Continental GT's door handles. The barchetta doesn't have the visual length or athleticism of the EXP 100 GT, but its fenders are still quite powerful, connected by strongly defined character lines running across the two doors. The rear is particularly muscular thanks to a rear track widened by 22 mm (0.9 in). Each customer will be able to personalize the look of the individual Bacalar exterior with a series of exclusive paints, design themes and exterior treatments.

The Bacalar has a powerful stance underpinned by a rear track that's about an inch wider than that of the Continental GT
Bentley

The rolling chassis upon which Mulliner sculpts the new Bacalar is that of the Continental GT, bringing along a 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 TSI engine tuned up to 650 hp and a dual-clutch eight-speed transmission. The rear-biased active all-wheel drive keeps the Bacalar in rear-wheel drive as much as possible, sending torque to the front axle when needed. The 48-volt dynamic ride system sharpens response and handling while also keeping the ride as smooth and comfortable as one would expect from a coachbuilt Bentley.

Mulliner may just be getting back into the custom body building business, but it has plenty of recent experience creating special ambiances inside individual car cabins. It starts this one with the idea of a wraparound design that instills some of the drama of a full-blown split-seater like the all-new Aston Martin V12 Speedster without completely separating the seats into individual pods. The two seats are split by a strong, full-length center tunnel, and behind each is a cocoon-like luggage compartment sized to hold bespoke Schedoni luggage.

The rear seats of the Continental GT platform are replaced by compartments designed around bespoke Italian luggage
Bentley

When the driver sits down, he or she wraps fingers around a specially designed D-shaped steering wheel. Upon start-up, the rotating display flips over from the classic look of analog gauges against river wood to the modern utility of high-definition touchscreen. The clock face wears individual 1 of 12 badging.

The touchscreen hides behind the dash, replaced by a river wood panel with gauges
Bentley

We shudder to think how the Earth might suffer if ultra-premium marques don't think sustainably when coachbuilding W12 roadsters destined to squeeze between dozens of other six- and seven-figure cars with horrendous fuel economy numbers in the bunker-like garages of the rich and richer. So it's relieving to see Bentley blazing a brave trail by loading the Bacalar interior with sustainable buzzwords like "5,000-year-old sustainable river wood," "natural wool cloth," "rice husk ash" paint content and "certified carbon-neutral factory." Eco catastrophe averted.

Bentley doesn't humor the plebes with a look at how much this custom-bodied Continental GT will cost, but unsurprisingly it's a moot point because all 12 examples have already been spoken for.

Source: Bentley Motors

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2 comments
*Joe*
The body (esp. the front grill) looks a bit like a modern interpretation of a 1970 Camaro. Not bad.
ChairmanLMAO
Ya. I was seeing Camaro too. Like, "That's a fancy camaro." Wonder when the 100 years old basic car concept is gonna get a facelift. We seen these all before. How do people identify these now when they all look the same. While the sharp ones are all categorized as supercars.