The Astonishing Bespoke Details Of Bentley's Super-Rare Bacalar
Bentley Mulliner is the oldest coachbuilder in the world. It unveiled the Bacalar in 2020, an ultra-luxurious and sporting two-seat open-top speedster that shares styling and material elements of Bentley's much-lauded EXP 100 GT concept car. The Bacalar is not merely a dolled-up Continental GT despite its familiar silhouette. However, only the door handles are common between the two vehicles, and Bentley claims Bacalar shares zero body panels with the Conti GT.
Bentley Mulliner
Bentley Mulliner has only made 12 Bacalars for worldwide consumption, and each custom-built and hand-made car starts at around $2 million. No two Bacalars will look alike as the twelve lucky customers have free will to appoint their choice of colors, materials, accessories, and individual quirks. "Designing a Bacalar is an exercise in imagination, with the material, color, and finish of practically every interior and exterior surface being bespoke," said Maria Mulder, Head of Color, Materials, and Finishes at Bentley Mulliner.
Bentley Mulliner Bacalar: Everything Bespoke
In a new press release, Bentley Mulliner has completed deliveries of eight of the rarest Bentleys of the modern era, with the last four vehicles in the "final stages of handcraftsmanship." One example, a Sunset Orange Bacalar, was presented at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed and was personally handed over to its proud owner by Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark amidst the festivities. It was a superb example of how Bacalar clients could personalize every nook and cranny of the car.
Bentley Mulliner
Besides wearing a custom orange paint job, it has unique 22-inch tri-color dark satin wheels with polished faces and glossy black highlights. In addition, the center of the headlights has color-matching Sunset Orange markers, while the satin-finished carbon fiber hood vents and side mirrors have a textured look to add flair. Meanwhile, the side skirts, rear diffuser, and the humps behind the seats are of similar satin-finish carbon fiber, a perfect backdrop to highlight the vehicle's Sunset Orange brightware.
The Bacalar Quilt
Inside, the Bacalar has no shortage of finely-crafted elements. The predominantly black and white cabin has Mandarin orange accents, technical carbon fiber trim, gloss/satin metals, and bright chrome/dark tint finishes, with each detail and panel bespoke to the customer's wishes. The leather and Alcantara upholstery have "Bacalar quilts" that require 148,199 individual stitches to embroider each seat.
The carpets have a diamond-carved pattern with orange binding and stitching. At the same time, the included luggage set that fits snugly behind the seats features leather, Alcantara, perforated Beluga piping, and Mandarin Orange embroidery to match the front seatbacks. Other custom details include a Bacalar Blue analog clock face and dual gloss black and matte black exhaust tips.
Bentley Mulliner
According to Bentley Mulliner, it has a new coachbuilt vehicle in the works. The coachbuilder promises to reveal more after completing the final touches and deliveries of the remaining four Bacalars in Crewe. Our guess is the next totally-bespoke Bentley could be an SUV. If true, it could command more than the $2 million price tag of the Bacalar.