Bentley Mulliner Bacalar

Just 12 examples of this striking, limited edition model are being created, guaranteeing rarity and exclusivity, and offering supreme luxury and breath-taking performance.

Mar 4, 2020

Bentley Mulliner has revealed the all-new Bacalar

The rarest two-door Bentley of the modern era, and the ultimate expression of two-seat, open-air luxury, this definitive Grand Tourer spearheads a return to coachbuilding by Bentley Mulliner – the oldest coachbuilder in the world.

BACALAR – A DYNAMICALLY-SCULPTED DESIGN FOR THE FUTURE

The Bacalar draws on design DNA from the beautifully sculpted, award-winning EXP 100 GT, and propels Bentley into a new century of extraordinary, as the most dynamically sculpted model from Bentley’s designers to date. A genuine ‘roofless’ Barchetta, Bacalar is a luxurious, two-seat, open-air performance car, the likes of which has never been seen before.

Sitting on extended haunches, with the rear track 200 mm wider than a Continental GT to provide a more muscular, sporting stance Bacalar features bespoke, 22-inch tri-finish wheels with dramatic depth and contour on the road. Unique front and rear horizontal lights add the distinctive, dynamic character that was first seen on the EXP 100 GT.

The exterior look of each model will be completed in collaboration with individual customers, who are able to further personalise their car, choosing from rare paint options, exterior treatments and design themes.

Bentley Mulliner Bacalar Rear Three Quarter

A UNIQUE WRAPAROUND COCKPIT

Inside Bacalar’s cabin, Bentley craftspeople have created a cockpit like no other. The architecture of the Bacalar has allowed Bentley Mulliner designers to create a ‘wraparound’ cockpit design that not only blends the interior and exterior together but also emphasises the two-seater character. The wraparound design flows from a steeply angled centre console into the dashboard, before sweeping into the door panels. These then continue towards a uniquely styled, semi-enclosed luggage compartment behind the seats. These two luggage ‘pods’ envelope the seats creating a true two-seater cabin.

Every detail has been uniquely designed: a new, knurled pattern was created for the iconic Bentley ‘bullseye’ vents seen in our current and past models. The new knurling pattern has been repeated around the interior, including the steering wheel controls, media and climate controls and even the intricate speaker frets.

A unique steering wheel, leather strap door and seat releases, special digital instrumentation and a unique key design enhance the luxurious cabin still further.

The cabin can be completely specified by the customer, working with Mulliner, and new materials available to choose include Riverwood, British wool, Dark Bronze and Midnight Black Titanium.

Bentley Mulliner Bacalar Overhead

AN ADVANCED DASHBOARD

At the heart of Bacalar’s dashboard is an advanced, fully digital, driver-focussed instrument panel and the now famous Bentley Rotating Display. This digital MMI display has been elegantly designed by Bentley with a customer-configurable home screen. For Bacalar, the Rotating Display features rare Riverwood veneer, a material first introduced in the EXP 100 GT concept, which rotates when the engine is started to reveal the high-resolution touchscreen.

Three configurable windows are able to display the driver’s preferred functions, such as telephone, media and navigation. The interface is designed to operate like a smartphone, with menus that are structured and simple to follow. The third side of the Bentley Rotating Display presents three, elegant analogue dials that display outside temperature, a compass and chronometer.

Each car also features a unique clock face with individual one-of-12 badging.

Bentley Mulliner Bacalar Front Cabin From Side

TRULY COACHBUILT – BACALAR OFFERS UNPARALLELED CUSTOMISATION

Owning a Bacalar is the start of a journey of discovery, representing a return to the exciting early years of Bentley, allowing owners to help shape the car of their dreams. Every element of Bacalar has been carefully and meticulously designed with a depth and detail, from from the use of precious inlays and unique finishes to the driver controls, to the 148,199 individual stitches needed to embroider the unique Bacalar quilt on each seat. Owners will find details and parts in their Bacalar not seen before on a Bentley.

The exterior look of each model will be completed in collaboration with individual customers, who are able to further personalise their car, choosing from rare paint options, exterior treatments and design themes. The interior can also be finished in an almost infinite number of ways, with each car co-created and commissioned in conjunction with the Bentley Mulliner team. Every car will be individually specified and finished using any of the many Bentley colours and materials available.

The Bentley Mulliner Bacalar is not available to buy: however, you can create your own Bentley with Mulliner, with the support of our creative experts and craftspeople. Speak with your local Bentley dealer to find out more.

Bentley Mulliner Bacalar Overhead Bonnet

SUSTAINABLE CRAFTSMANSHIP AND ETHICALLY-SOURCED MATERIALS

Bentley has collaborated with carefully selected companies to create the new Bacalar. Each one uses sustainable and innovative techniques that exemplify the best craftsmanship that the world has to offer, in many cases fine-tuned over centuries, and using ethically-sourced materials.

For example, the rare Copper-Infused Riverwood that forms the wrap-around dashboard is a sustainable wood from naturally fallen trees that has been preserved for 5,000 years in peat bogs, lakes and rivers found in the Fenlands of East Anglia, England. This exquisite wood was chosen for its striking black aesthetic, the result of lying untouched in wet earth for thousands of years, and has been air-dried for an extensive period in controlled conditions to preserve its unique natural characteristics.

Bentley Mulliner has also collaborated with a traditional British textile mill to produce bespoke natural wool cloth akin to a fine tailor’s suit. Bentley Mulliner has embraced the expertise and knowledge of these centuries-old methods to create an exclusive and unique woven cloth especially for the Bacalar. It is used in the seat inserts, seat backs and the side of the head restraints. Following the interior styling lines, it also flows from the side of the centre console and lower instrument panel into the doors.

Bacalar also features luxury overmats and artisan piping – which can be created individually with the customer – which are sustainably produced by British artisans. Even the eye-catching paintwork on Bacalar features a sustainably created pigment synthetically manufactured using risk husk ash.