New £1.5million Bentley Bacalar shown in variety of colours

Limited run of 12 two-seat Bentley Bacalar roadsters already accounted for, but Crewe brand gives its customers inspiration with new design configurations

Bentley has given the lucky 12 owners of the ultra-limited run Bacalar some food for thought by releasing several customisation examples of the £1.5-million (plus taxes) roadster.

While all 12 examples of the Bentley Bacalar sold out before any customers had seen the car in the carbon fibre, those customers won’t be able to see the car for some time longer as the brand had to shut down its factory due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As a result, Bentley created six example specifications for the new model. You can see the images in our gallery, but they include “The Clerkenwell”; a traditional-looking model with a deep green exterior finish and with lashings of wood trim inside, and “The Fulton”; a rich red model with a black and red cabin.

The new Bacalar, which borrows its unusual name from a lake in Mexico, is a natural rival to the recent McLaren Elva and the Aston Martin V12 Speedster.

Built to showcase Bentley's bespoke Mulliner division's aspiration of returning back to its coachbuilding roots, the open cockpit Bentley (there is no roof) is based on the car maker's current Continental GT convertible – but, aside from that car's platform and powertrain, only the door handles are borrowed from the mainstream model.

Designed under the brief to build the 'ultimate open cockpit two-seater', the Bacalar takes its design inspiration from last year's EXP 100 GT coupe that was created to celebrate the luxury British brand's centenary.

That explains why it shares that car's crisp dramatic lines, centre-spline bonnet and single oval lamps that look like a blade has been slashed through them.

Under its full carbon-fibre skin, instead of the EXP's all-electric battery and motors, the car maker's familiar twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 has been pressed into action, producing 650bhp and 900Nm of torque – 25bhp more than the standard Conti GT and enough for a 0-62mph time of 3.6 seconds.

Unlike any other Bentley, the Bacalar employs anodized bronze brightwork where you would expect to find chrome or brushed aluminium and comes painted in a very un-Bentley Flame Yellow paint.

Speaking to its designer, JP Gregory, the proportions, curves and general bravery employed with creating the Bacalar has led to him dub the limited run roadster nothing less than a "work of art" and an opportunity to "push Bentley's design language forward."

Again, the start from scratch approach was taken while the design, believe it or not, takes its inspiration from the late 1920s Birkin Bentley. Using bespoke doors, a new console and a redesigned dashboard, the Bacalar cabin is said to provide the impression of a wraparound effect.

Despite measuring in at a similar size to the Continental GT, the Bentley roadster is a strictly two-seat with space behind for a set of bespoke luggage that's tailored to the customers' needs.

Speaking of those seats, they're just one example of the levels of craftsmanship that has gone into the Bacalar, with each seat requiring 148,199 stitches to finish.

Then there's the materials used in its construction, from the naturally fallen 5,000-year old open-pore river wood to the finest leather and anodised titanium finish on the controls, the Bacalar is claimed to challenge how a modern Bentley's cabin should look.

Partnership
Need to sell your car?
Find your best offer from over 5,000+ dealers. It’s that easy.

According to designer Gregory, the Bacalar has been "insanely expensive to make" and only really possible thanks to the short run of 12 cars. The carbon-fibre body, for example, could never be replicated on a run of 200 cars, it would simply cost too much.

The first new Bentley in the car maker's second century in existence has been well worthwhile, says Gregory, not least since the run of 12 cars sold out even before the Bacalar's wealthy owners even saw it in the flesh.

Would you pick the new Bentley Bacalar over the McLaren Elva? Let us know your thoughts below...

Recommended

How Bentley Mulliner made us a bespoke Bentley for £325,000
Auto Express editor-at-large John McIlroy talking with Bentley Mulliner representative Phillip Dean
Features

How Bentley Mulliner made us a bespoke Bentley for £325,000

We see behind the scenes of Bentley’s Mulliner service, then build a car just how we’d want it
6 Nov 2023
Bentley Bentayga gets an A for new 2024 update
Bentley Bentayga - A
News

Bentley Bentayga gets an A for new 2024 update

Bentley’s high-end luxury SUV range picks up subtle updates for the 2024 model year with a new ‘A’ trim level
27 Sep 2023
Bentley W12: farewell to an iconic engine
Bentley W12 line-up
Features

Bentley W12: farewell to an iconic engine

As the British brand’s iconic engine prepares for its final curtain, we sample three Bentley cars that are powered by the twin-turbo unit
1 May 2023
Mazda MX-5 review
Mazda MX-5 Homura - front tracking
In-depth reviews

Mazda MX-5 review

The Mazda MX-5 is a legendary small sports car that delivers driving thrills and everyday usability
30 Mar 2023

Most Popular

New Renault 5: price, specs, launch and on sale dates
Renault 5 EV concept at 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed
News

New Renault 5: price, specs, launch and on sale dates

Renault’s reborn Renault 5 will start from €25,000 in Europe, suggesting a circa-£30k price in the UK. It's due on sale in the summer of 2024. Here's …
1 Dec 2023
‘Forget leasing a car, a cut-price van should be your next everyday vehicle’
Opinion - Fiat Scudo
Opinion

‘Forget leasing a car, a cut-price van should be your next everyday vehicle’

With some huge savings to be had, Mike Rutherford thinks a van could be the perfect vehicle
3 Dec 2023
New BMW X3 replacement to grow in size and feature a minimalist dash
BMW Neue Klasse SUV exclusive image - front
News

New BMW X3 replacement to grow in size and feature a minimalist dash

BMW’s first Neue Klasse electric SUV could carry the iX3 nameplate and our exclusive images preview how it might look
30 Nov 2023