Bentley through its Mulliner bespoke division is allegedly working on a second model after the Bacalar, the ultra-posh roofless model of which only 12 units will ever be made. According to a new report from Autocar, the upcoming two-door model will be less exclusive as the production run could be extended to 25 examples. Other differences between the two will be the adoption of a fixed roof and styling cues derived from the wild 2019 EXP 100 GT.
The design will allegedly serve as a window into future Bentley models without a combustion engine by adopting cues that will be later adopted by purely electric vehicles from Crewe. According to the same report, the front fascia will be aggressive by adopting a more angular theme and a fresh take on the corporate grille, flanked by slim LED headlights.
Responsible for the car's exterior appearance will be Andreas Mindt, who also penned the 1999 Hunaudieres. The 22-year-old concept never made it to production, but it did play an important role in the design process of the Bugatti Veyron. Beefy wheel arches are on the menu for the new coupe, along with sleek taillights and other details that will differentiate it from the "plain" Continental GT.
Power is said to come from the twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12 engine installed in the Continental GT Speed where it delivers an astounding 650 horsepower (485 kilowatts) and 664 pound-feet (900 Newton-meters) of torque. It propels the high-performance coupe to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 208 mph (335 km/h). The new Mulliner coupe should deliver similar power and performance numbers.
No Roof? No Problem:
Based on the Continental GT Speed with its massive 440-mm carbon-ceramic front brakes, stiffer suspension, and a tweaked chassis, the fancy coupe could signal the beginning of the end for the W12. Autocar has it on good authority the twelve-cylinder powerhouse is going to be bow out "shortly after the launch of the next Mulliner car."
Price? You'd better sit down for this one. The base version, if we can call it that, will cost from £1.5 million (nearly $2M at current exchange rates) and rise to £2M ($2.61M). However, the sheer number of high-end Mulliner upgrades could drive up the price, thus making it the most expensive Bentley in history.
Source: Autocar