Bentley's Latest Mulliner Creations Take 56 Hours Just To Paint
Mulliner’s Olympia Collection reworks the Bentley Continental GT with 56-hour Ombré paint, heritage-inspired leather, and commemorative accessories tied to Olympia’s origins.
Bentley has built 12 Continental GTs that exist to make one point about paint. The Olympia Collection by Mulliner marks 100 years since the Bentley 6 ½ Litre was presented as a complete coachbuilt car at the 1926 Olympia Motor Show, the six-cylinder model whose engine later powered the Speed Six that won Le Mans in 1929 and 1930.
Each of the 12 numbered cars starts from a Continental GT and runs through Mulliner's coachbuilding division. A single paint finish alone takes more than two full working days to apply. The collection relies heavily on patina, leather, and period-correct detailing rather than any change under the hood.
12 Continental GTs Honor The 6 ½ Litre
Bentley Continental GT Olympia Collection By Mulliner
W.O. Bentley's first car, the 3 Litre, launched in 1921. His response to heavier coachwork on that chassis was the larger 6 ½ Litre, previewed as a bare chassis at Olympia in 1925 and presented as a complete car one year later. The Olympia Collection ties its name directly to that moment a century on.
The original 6 ½ Litre proved its worth at Brooklands before its engine was combined with a more performance-focused chassis for the separate Speed Six model. The Olympia Collection echoes that history in its detailing while keeping the changes centered on craftsmanship and paint.
"The uncompromising drive for excellence epitomised by W.O.'s Lyon to Dieppe spirited drive can still be found in Crewe's Dream Factory today," Bentley said in a statement accompanying the reveal.
Bentley has used this kind of historical callback before. Earlier Mulliner commissions have marked 80 years at Crewe and paid tribute with a one-off Barnato Green Continental GT, each built around a single color and a specific anniversary date.
Gallery: Bentley Continental GT Olympia Collection By Mulliner
Mulliner Ombré Paint Takes 56 Hours To Complete
The headline detail is the Ombré by Mulliner finish, a gradient that shifts from Verdant green at the front of the car to Midnight Emerald toward the rear. According to Bentley, skilled paint technicians need 56 hours to complete it on each car.
That is far beyond what a standard color coat requires. Blending two distinct greens across every body panel without a visible seam demands repeated passes and hand correction.
Bentley has not broken down how that time splits between masking, layering, and polishing.
Inside, the cabin pairs Coach Green and Cumbrian Green leather in a bespoke split, set against a heritage-patinated finish meant to look worn. Black-stained open-pore crown-cut walnut veneer, diamond-knurled controls, and Champagne Gold accents round out the trim package.
Each car ships with a matching car cover, a commemorative book, a handover box, and an individually numbered Brooklands watch, its strap cut from the same Coach Green leather used inside the cabin. Bentley has disclosed no powertrain changes, performance figures, pricing, or pricing regions for the collection, and presents it as a special edition built around finish and materials.
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Source: Bentley
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