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Bentley Motors has added a bespoke 2020 Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase to its Heritage Collection, marking the final example of the Mulsanne handcrafted at Bentley’s Dream Factory in Crewe. This particular Mulsanne was commissioned for the late Queen Elizabeth II and includes various custom features for royal duties. The exterior is in solid Barnato green, paired with an interior in Twine and Cumbrian hide, Burr Walnut wood veneers, and deep lambswool carpets.

The specifications include rear privacy curtains, the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom inlaid into the door waistrails, and a custom-sized tray to accommodate the Queen’s handbag, replacing the front center armrests. Additionally, discreetly concealed blue police lights, a siren, and a bullhorn were installed, with a dedicated switch panel hidden behind a walnut-veneered door.

The car is powered by Bentley’s famous 537PS 6.75-litre V8 engine, rides on 21” alloy wheels, and features chrome brightware for the grille and front wing vents, along with the iconic Flying B. This Mulsanne will be the third and final one in Bentley’s Heritage Collection, joining the second Mulsanne ever built and a 2019 Mulsanne Speed that previously served on Bentley’s press fleet.

The Mulsanne, initially launched in 2009, underwent several updates during its production, with the final 30 series production cars forming the unique ‘6.75 Edition by Mulliner’ in 2020. The name was derived from the car’s legendary 6.75-litre engine, which also came to the end of production after more than 60 years. The Heritage Collection is part of Bentley’s broader effort to rebuild its family of cars, covering the brand’s 104-year history.

Bentley’s Heritage Collection now comprises 45 cars, showcasing the evolution of the brand from the oldest Bentley, the 1919 3-Litre EXP2, to the 2021 Continental GT Speed. The collection includes 37 road-registered, road-legal cars that represent Bentley’s development over its 104-year history. In addition, eight motorsport and record-breaking vehicles are featured, including three Speed 8s, both generations of Continental GT3, and cars used for Pikes Peak and Ice Speed Records.

All the cars in the Heritage Collection are meticulously maintained and displayed at Bentley’s carbon-neutral Dream Factory in Crewe, England. Visitors, including customers, VIPs, media guests, and Bentley colleagues, can explore the brand’s rich history through the Collection as part of the factory tour experience.

Bentley Kuala Lumpur bids farewell to the iconic W12 petrol powertrain with the delivery of its final Bentayga Speed, marking the last Bentayga model in Malaysia to include the W12 engine.

This move follows Bentley Motor’s global announcement to discontinue the W12 engine as part of its Beyond 100 strategy, focusing on the full electrification of all models to position Bentley as a leader in sustainable luxury mobility. Orders for the Bentayga Speed featuring the W12 powertrain ceased at the end of July 2023.

Powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 engine, the Speed offers remarkable top speeds without compromising on luxury and comfort, accompanied by a range of customisations and exclusive styling.

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Bentley, renowned for its luxury vehicles, has taken a significant step forward in its mission to be the epitome of diversity among luxury car manufacturers worldwide. The company has revealed the ‘Belonging Bentayga,’ a bespoke Bentley Bentayga Hybrid hand-painted with intricate artistry, showcasing skylines and landmarks from iconic cities across the globe.

The Artistic Endeavor

The ‘Belonging Bentayga’ is adorned with various skylines and renowned buildings from cities such as New York, London, Paris, Rome, Milan, Venice, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, each side representing a different continent. This unique art piece, displaying 29 different landmarks, is a creation of Stephen Wiltshire MBE, a British architectural artist and autistic savant celebrated for his extraordinary ability to recreate landscapes from memory.

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The Bentayga Extended Wheelbase Mulliner marks a new peak for Bentley, elevating the Bentayga lineup and the overall Bentley models. Bentley says this model enhances the existing blend of powerful supercar performance, all-terrain capability, dynamic driving, and limousine-like rear cabin found in the Bentayga EWB.

The flagship Bentley Bentayga EWB Mulliner surpasses competitors in cabin space and its unique enhancements transform each journey into a cherished experience. Whether you’re seated at the wheel or in the spacious rear cabin, this SUV represents the pinnacle of luxury in the SUV category.

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When one spends over a million ringgit on a car, it can be taken for granted that it will be of the highest quality with the best materials. If it is a sports model, then it would be expected to deliver truly high performance. And where comfort is concerned, that’s a given – with emphasis on the rear accommodation taking precedence over the front (unless it’s a convertible which would usually be driven by the owner).

Bentley’s Azure range, introduced in May last year, goes beyond the realms of just being comfortable. With this range – available for all Bentley models – the wellbeing of the occupants is paramount and not only is there superlative comfort along the way but the occupants can also arrive at their destination in an even better shape, more relaxed than when they left home or office.

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When production of Bentley’s W12 engine ends in April 2024, over 105,000 units of the iconic 12-cylinder engines will have been made in a 21-year period. The decision to end production has been made as part of Bentley’s acceleration towards a sustainable future through its Beyond100 strategy. This will see the company’s entire model line fully electrified by the start of the next decade

Once production of the W12 ceases next year, Bentley’s entire model line will be available with the option of a hybrid powertrain. In fact, even now, the journey of electrification has already begun with the Bentayga Hybrid and Flying Spur Hybrid.

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A 70-year old Bentley with the registration JAS 949 has been a special car among Bentley models. It was one of only 208 units of the R Type Continental ever built – but the car had a greater impact than the limited numbers suggest. Quoted as ‘a modern magic carpet which annihilates great distances’, the R-Type Continental was the fastest 4-seat luxury sedan in the world when it debuted in 1952.

The first owner of JAS 949 was a Dr. Rowland Guenin in Switzerland, who received his car in December 1953. It was ordered in Ivory with a Red interior and a manual gearbox, a specification it retains today along with the original 4.6-litre engine.

In 2001, Bentley acquired JAS 949 and made it one of the models in the company’s 43-car Heritage Collection kept at the Heritage Garage in Crewe, where Bentley has its factory. It has been well maintained with the patina preserved and the car is driven on the road on a regular basis.

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Since the first Bathurst 12-Hour race in 1991, the overall winning cars have been from many different brands and among them, in the 2020 event, was the Continental GT3. That year, with Bentley’s biggest ever motorsport programme, the Continental GT demonstrated its breadth of ability on the road and on the track.

That memorable victory inspired Mulliner and Bentley Sydney to create a special edition in conjunction with the recent launch in Australia of the new Continental GT S. Focused on driving performance and visual presence, the Continental GT S shares a number of characteristics with its track-based counterpart, thereby providing the perfect foundation for the pair of specially-commissioned road cars.

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In August this year, Bentley unveiled the Batur coupe, a very exclusive model to be built by Bentley Mulliner and limited to only 18 units, each priced at from £1.65 million (about RM8.9 million). Named after a beautiful lake in Bali, the Batur is the second bespoke project by Bentley Mulliner after the Bacalar and the first customers (all units have already been booked) should start getting their cars in mid-2023..

With development work completed and two prototypes available, real-world testing is now underway to verify the performance after an extensive engineering program. The validation activities, with more than 120 individual tests, include durability for both the engine and whole vehicle, environmental compatibility and sunlight simulation, high speed stability, aerodynamics, noise & vibration, and driving dynamics.

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The Speed badge on Bentley models, which goes back to the 1930s, signifies versions with an extra measure of performance. Typically, Speed versions have been at the top of their respective ranges and today, there are Speed versions for the Bentayga and the Continental. They are now joined by the new Flying Spur Speed, completing Bentley’s portfolio of Grand Tourers.

The Flying Spur Speed, which sits above the S model, has the familiar exterior Speed styling cues like  dark tint finishes to the front grilles, headlamps and tail lamps, and of course, Speed badges on the lower wing. Also standard are jewelled fuel and oil filler caps, with the unique 22-inch Speed wheel as standard (a second optional 22-inch sports design is also available).

For customers who want to increase the performance-focused image even further, Bentley also offers its Styling Specification (carbonfibre front splitter, side skirts, rear diffuser and subtle bootlid spoiler) and Blackline Specification which can be included at the time of purchase.

Crafted by hand in high gloss carbonfibre to exact tolerances following an extensive development programme, the Blackline Specification provides a contemporary alternative where most of the brightwork on the exterior of the car is replaced with Blackware.

The Flying Spur Speed’s 6-litre W12 powertrain produces an extra 85 ps/130 Nm for a total output of 635 ps/900 Nm. The improved output enables the car to go from 0 to 100 km/h in a claimed 3.8 seconds, and on to a top speed of 333 km/h. Maximum speed is reached in sixth gear with the same 8-speed ZF dual-clutch transmission as the Continental GT, the overdrive gears (seventh and eighth) being used  to reduce fuel consumption when cruising.

The mighty Bentley W12 engine will be retired after 2026.

The clutched system delivers drive to the rear axle and depending on the road conditions and wheel slip, it will then automatically send drive to the front axle as required, as an active all-wheel drive system. With turn-in response also improved, the understeer effect experienced with fixed all-wheel drive is virtually eliminated, making the car feel more balanced overall.

Torque distribution varies according to the selected Drive Dynamics Mode. In Comfort and Bentley modes, the system will send up to 480 Nm of torque to the front axle to offer greater grip and driveability. In Sport, the system limits the available torque to the front axle to 280 Nm, maintaining a higher torque level at the rear for a more dynamic feel.

Electronic All-Wheel Steering is standard, and during low-speed manoeuvres, the system steers the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels. This has the effect of shortening the wheelbase, reducing the turning circle, increasing agility and making parking noticeably easier too. During high-speed manoeuvres, the system steers the rear wheels in the same direction as the front wheels, increasing stability and making overtaking and lane-changes more assured.

Needless to say, a Bentley cabin has a luxurious environment and for the Flying Spur Speed, there is a new unique colour way including the use of Dinamica to all of the occupant touch points. Bentley uses Dinamica Pure which, compared to regular Dinamica, is made from 73% recycled polyester. There are more Interior colour choices as well.

The dashboard is the same as the other Flying Speed versions but in the driver’s information panel, new performance infotainment graphics can be seen. These take inspiration from luxury chronographs. The luxury theme continues with front and rear seat comfort specification as standard.

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