Bentley prepares to unveil the Bacalar’s successor

Car fans would do well to mark Sunday August 21 in their smartphone’s calendar. That’s when the Bentley Mulliner Batur — a grand tourer coachbuilt by Mulliner — makes its global debut at Monterey Car Week in California.

The Batur is the successor to the extraordinary Bacalar, a roofless indulgence which cost $2m (about R33m) when launched and of which only 12 were ever made. 

Based on the teaser images, the Batur is a hard-top grand tourer and according to director of design at Bentley, Andreas Mindt, it also showcases an all-new design language for Bentley. This new DNA will shape the future range of Bentley Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), with the first to be launched in 2025.

Like the Bacalar, the Batur is named after a beautiful natural body of water. Lake Batur is an 88m deep, 16 km² crater lake in Kintamani on the island of Bali, Indonesia. 

The colour and finish of every surface and component can be customised, making for a practically limitless Batur creations. Material options include natural fibre composites, low-CO² leather and even 3D-printed 18K gold.

With Bentley on its Beyond100 journey to become the most sustainable luxury mobility company in the world, the W12 engine is entering its twilight years — but not before it powers the Batur. 

With 540kW on tap, the W12 engine in the Batur will be the most powerful iteration yet and will be matched by Bentley’s most advanced chassis system, providing  exceptional dynamism to match the straight-line performance.

Bentley Flying Spur Mulliner Blackline

If chauffeured drives in Bentleys are your preference, the company has also announced the new Flying Spur Mulliner with Blackline — the sporty expression of the ultimate limousine.

With almost one in five Continental GT Mulliner orders now specified with the Blackline, the company says this was a no-brainer when it comes to the 5m-plus long four-door model 

The Blackline treatment also replaces the bright chrome on Mulliner models with gloss Beluga black versions on the upper mirror caps. The signature Mulliner matrix wing vents are also blackened, and finished with bright Mulliner branding. The radiator grille remains black with bright edges to the 3D design, and the lower bumper grilles are also finished in black.    

The Blackline specification also offers an optional black 22-inch Mulliner wheel with contrast polished “pockets”, or 22-inch Mulliner gloss-black wheel with self-levelling badges featuring chrome rings.

The interior remains unchanged with the Mulliner Driving Specification fitted as standard, bringing the “Diamond-in-Diamond” quilting to the seats, and three-dimensional leather to the doors. Still, customers can choose any colour combination, or one of eight recommended three-colour combinations, using Bentley’s palette of hides and threads.  

The Flying Spur Mulliner Blackline specification is available with Bentley’s V8 and W12 power trains, as well as the new V6 Hybrid that accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 4.3 seconds and has a top speed of 285km/h.

The Flying Spur Mulliner V8 costs R6.075m and the W12 commands R6.25m however the V6 model is not available for the SA market. The Blackline is an extra cost and the first unit is expected in SA during September.