Bentley Grand Convertible
The Bentley Grand Convertible is a four-seat, luxury convertible concept car from Bentley Motors. The car debuted at the 2014 L.A. Auto Show.
Like its predecessor, the Azure, the Grand Convertible rides on the platform of Bentley's current luxury saloon, the Mulsanne. It uses the Mulsanne Speed's 6 3/4 liter turbo V8, putting out 530 hp and 811 lb ft of torque.[1]
The interior is finished in leather with Mulliner's signature diamond quilting. The convertible top's tonneau cover is covered with largest wood veneer ever applied to a Bentley, in book matched Burr Walnut wood. The tonneau was finished entirely by hand with the wood's mirror finish being accented by strips of chromed steel.
The concept car's exterior finish is a bespoke blue color created from "a single squib from a customer's haute couture gown." The unique finish continues with silver "liquid metal" finish on the hood and windscreen frame. Additional unique features include custom directional wheels and a linen colored leather interior with Sequin Blue stitching.[2][3]
In 2012, Bentley had shown drawings of a convertible version of the Mulsanne to a small number of customers during an event at Pebble Beach.[4] No photos were allowed to be taken and no official images were released. Then CEO Wolfgang Shreiber cancelled the project. Current CEO, Wolfgang Dürheimer restarted the project, but the Grand Convertible still has not been approved for production. At the 2014 L.A. Auto Show, Dürheimer said, “We are eagerly awaiting the response of our customers to this car. We will ensure that this car - if it reaches the roads – will be a highly exclusive, extremely limited collector’s piece.”[5]
In December 2014, the Grand Convertible was displayed in Miami for Art Basel, where Bentley had commissioned a large art display which simulated a car factory.[6]
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| Type | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | |||||||||||||
| Ownership | Bentley Motors Limited (1919–1931) |
Rolls-Royce Bentley Motors (1931) Limited (1931–1980) |
Vickers plc Rolls-Royce Bentley Motors (1931) Limited (1980–1998) |
Volkswagen Group (1998–) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Coachbuilder's open 2/4 seater |
3 L | 4½ L 6½ L Speed Six |
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| Coachbuilder's large saloon coupé or convertible |
6½ L Speed Six 8 L |
4L 3½ 4¼L Mark V |
Mark VI | R | S1 S2 S3 |
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Continental S1 Continental S2 Continental S3 |
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Mark VI | R | S1 S2 S3 |
T1 | T2 | Mulsanne | Brooklands | Arnage | Mulsanne | ||||||||||||||
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| Coupé | Corniche | Continental R/S/T | Br. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Convertible | Corniche | Continental | Azure | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Continental Flying Spur | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coupé | Continental GT | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Convertible | Continental GTC | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| « previous — Bentley, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, automobile timeline, 1998–present | |||||||||||||||||
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| Saloon | Arnage | Continental Flying Spur | Flying Spur | ||||||||||||||
| Red Label | Arnage R/T | Mulsanne | |||||||||||||||
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| Coupé | Continental R | Continental GT | Continental GT | ||||||||||||||
| Continental T | Brooklands Coupé | ||||||||||||||||
| Convertible | Continental GTC | Continental GTC | |||||||||||||||
| Azure | Azure | ||||||||||||||||
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References
- ↑ Holmes, Jake (18 November 2014). "2014 LOS ANGELES: Bentley Shows Grand Convertible Concept in L.A.". Automobile Magazine. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
- ↑ "Bentley Grand Convertible Redefines The Luxury Of Open-air Driving". Bentley Motors. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ↑ Valdes-Dapena, Peter. "Bentley Grand Convertible: Open air driving for the very few". CNN. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
- ↑ "The Bentley Grand Convertible". Pursuing W.O. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ↑ "An Open-Air Bentley With Upper-Crust Roots". N.Y. Times. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
- ↑ "ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH 2014: WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAY". Retrieved 11 May 2015.