(Crewe/Beijing, 24 April 2016) Bentley is enhancing its new Mulsanne range at the Beijing Auto Show with the global debut of the highly exclusive Mulsanne First Edition.
Handcrafted in Crewe and featuring a suite of elegantly executed styling revisions, Bentley’s new pinnacle model range comprises the Mulsanne, the performance-focused Mulsanne Speed and ultra-luxurious Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase, with its enhanced rear passenger space and airline-style seats. Just 50 examples of the First Edition will be made available across the new three-model Mulsanne family.
A bespoke Mulliner sterling silver vanity kit inlaid into the rear picnic table is available on the Mulsanne First Edition. The luxuriously weighted set – created by Asprey of London – includes a vanity mirror, hair brush and comb, all of which fit perfectly into a unique Mulliner-designed picnic table for discreet stowage.
First Edition motifs are positioned throughout the cabin, including a unique diametric overlay on the rear seat picnic tables, special tread plates and Union Jack-inspired First Edition embroidery on the seats.
A true celebration of Bentley’s new flagship, each Mulsanne First Edition also features a specially engraved Bentley ‘Flying B’ bonnet ornament and can be specified with a champagne cooler.
On display at the Beijing show, the Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase First Edition features a ripple-patterned Fulbeck veneer sourced from a 350-year-old English walnut tree. This extremely rare and sought-after wood fetched an undisclosed record price at auction, with Bentley able to acquire enough to create veneer panels for a small number of cars. All other Mulsanne First Edition models are available with a unique Antique Ash veneer
The new Bentley Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase offers a first-class air-travel experience for the road and is designed for customers with a preference for being chauffeured. Benefitting from an additional 250 mm of rear legroom, this significant increase in interior space makes the Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase the most generously proportioned pinnacle luxury limousine in the world.
Further enhancing this pinnacle interior space are new airline-style reclining seats with extending footrests and a rear compartment sunroof. The ability to sleep in the rear is assured thanks to rear compartment curtains, which in the First Edition are specified in a new Ivory colour to match the interior. These features combine to create a uniquely relaxing automotive environment.
Rear-seat passengers also benefit from the introduction of the Bentley Entertainment Tablet – a pair of 10.2” Android devices (with 4G, WiFi and Bluetooth) seamlessly integrated into the backs of the front seats. With typically exquisite attention to detail, a single touch of a button engages a beautifully weighted mechanism, smoothly deploying the screens from their stowed positions.
The Android-powered tablets, which feature a Bentley-specific interface, have access to over a million Android Apps – such as Skype, Google Play and Spotify – and can be used away from the car, in the office and at home. Each tablet has 32 GB of on-board storage (expandable to 128 GB via a Micro-SDXC card), USB ports and a front-facing camera. Audio can also be streamed through the vehicle speakers, and new destinations can be sent from the tablets to the Mulsanne’s navigation system. Internet browsing is via the car’s 4G WiFi system, permitting access to internet radio and local or streamed video.
Wolfgang Dürheimer, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, said: “The Mulsanne is the epitome of Bentley’s DNA – exquisite, individual and powerful. It defines luxury in the automotive world and offers the unique Bentley blend of luxury and performance.”
