Skip advert
Advertisement

Bentley considering bespoke coachbuilding division

Bentley is weighing up possibilities for a bespoke division, building one-offs at the request of its wealthiest clients

Bentley could be returning to its coachbuilding roots with a new division of the company dedicated to one-off models, built to customer’s exact specifications. Catering for only the wealthiest clients, it’s an avenue Ferrari and McLaren have explored recently with the F12 TRS and X-1 respectively.

“Go back to the beginnings of our company, we built the chassis and customers put their body of choice on top. At one point there were 50 coachbuilders in London alone,” Kevin Rose, Bentley’s member of the board for sales and marketing, explained.

Advertisement - Article continues below

“I love that idea, it’s like Haute Couture for a car, I think that’s fascinating to take things a step further and make a car specifically for you,” he added. “Technically it’s possible and the cost is irrelevant, even if it was up to £5m. We have to work out if it’s feasible, but we’re interested in the concept.”

Best luxury cars on sale

We asked Rose what would happen if a customer approached him with £5m and an idea for a unique Bentley, tomorrow. “It would depend on what they wanted, and the legislation where they live. The Middle East is fairly relaxed, for example, whereas Europe is far more strict,” he replied. “We’ve started to look at this more seriously in the next year or so, but we’re not at the stage to say yes or no yet.”

Of course, there are coachbuilding companies out there already who will build you a bespoke version of an existing car. Pininfarina crafted the Hyperion, based on the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, for a well-heeled collector in 2008, while Touring Superleggera created the Bentley Continental Flying Star (pictured) in 2010 – essentially a shooting brake conversion of the Continental GT. But by bringing the service in house Bentley would be able to boost profits in a total luxury car market with modest growth projections.

“The total car market is 60m cars a year, of that our bit is about 50,000 cars and not all of those will buy a Bentley,” Rose said. “The total market won’t grow much over the next few years – we’re hoping for modest double digit growth – until the SUV comes along and then we’ll see some more model driven growth. For now though some markets like the Middle East are growing well, but others such as China are flat.”

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Bentley Continental GT to get plug-in hybrid V8
Bentley Continental GT
News

Bentley Continental GT to get plug-in hybrid V8

The next-generation Bentley Continental GT and Flying Spur will utilise Porsche hybrid technology
19 Mar 2024
Top 10 best luxury cars to buy 2024
Best luxury cars - header image
Best cars & vans

Top 10 best luxury cars to buy 2024

Indulge yourself with our list of the most luxurious cars on sale today
2 Feb 2024
Bentley Speed Edition 12 range revealed in celebration of the W12 engine
Bentley Speed Edition 12 range - group photo
News

Bentley Speed Edition 12 range revealed in celebration of the W12 engine

Only 120 examples each of the Continental GT, Flying Spur and Bentayga Speed Edition 12s will be built
9 May 2023
Bentley Continental and Flying Spur receive 2023 updates
Updated 2023 Bentley Flying Spur, Continental GT and Continental GTC
News

Bentley Continental and Flying Spur receive 2023 updates

New exterior and interior tweaks revealed for Bentley’s luxury saloon and grand tourer
27 Apr 2023

Most Popular

Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years
Upcoming Audi models - four-way image
News

Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years

After a quiet few years, the German giant is gearing up for its biggest product onslaught to date
25 Mar 2024
Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power
Dacia Sandero - front
News

Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power

Both the Sandero and Sandero Stepway ranges have been tweaked, gaining more safety features to meet the latest regulations
26 Mar 2024
Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay
Road tax documentation
News

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay

Drivers with newer cars can expect to be paying roughly £10 more per year, a although the biggest gas guzzlers will fare the worst
26 Mar 2024