Two of the oldest names in British craftsmanship, Boodles and Mulliner, have collaborated to create a one-of-one Bentley Continental GTC.
The exterior of the Boodles Commission
Continental GTC uses a timeless and elegant colour palette, with the
Anthracite exterior finish and light grey fabric roof accentuating the
lean and muscular lines of Bentley’s open grand tourer. Mulliner 22-inch
wheels are painted in Tungsten with a polished finish, with brake
calipers in gloss black. But there are hints of the delights within, in
the form of a pinstripe in Boodles’ signature Powder Pink that traces a
line around the edge of the Styling Specification front spoiler, sills
and rear spoiler. A "Boodles 1798" exterior badge in grey with chrome
text appears on the front fender, just ahead of the door on either side.
Upon opening the doors, the ground-illuminating welcome lamp projects
the Boodles logo.
Opening the lid of a Boodles jewel box is a
moment of delight and revelation, and the co-creators of the Boodles
Continental GTC aimed to provoke the same sense of wonder for those
entering the Bentley’s cockpit. As with the exterior, the colour
spectrum is modern, with Linen upholstery as the main hide colour,
complemented by pale grey Porpoise secondary hide on seat backs, fascia
top roll, gear lever and steering wheel. Boodles’ Powder Pink appears as
an accent hide colour on the steering wheel tab, inner door pockets and
console side pocket lowers.
Powder Pink is used for the seat
piping as well as the hand cross-stitching that traces the outline of
seats, fascia, console, and waist rails. Door panels and upper seat
backs feature a blind stitch repeat pattern of the interlocking "Be
Boodles" motif, which alone required 278,566 stitches and six hours of
painstaking work. Much like the car, the ‘Be Boodles Bentley’ pendant,
set into the centre console, has been handcrafted as a complete one-off
piece. It features a mirrored pair of diamond-set ‘B’ emblems, imitating
the curving lines of antique lace, created in 18ct Single Mine Origin
white gold. Finally, a pair of loose cushions in Linen hide are
embroidered in Porpoise with "Boodles 1798" and edged with Powder Pink
piping.
The interior abounds with bespoke details. Fascia and
door waist rails feature dual-finish Piano Linen and Autumn Stone
veneers, bisected by a painted pinstripe in Powder Pink. Advanced
laser-cutting techniques enable Mulliner to create panels of veneer just
one-tenth of a millimetre thick from natural stone formed over 200
million years ago.
Dials, bezels, air vents and controls are
framed in Mulliner’s Knurling Specification, giving them a jewel-like
finish that catches the light on multiple facets. The central vanes of
the air vents are painted in powder pink, allowing them to align
perfectly with the fascia pinstripe, while the "organ stop" controls for
the air vents are plated in 24ct gold. A "Boodles 1798" overlay in
chrome on Piano Linen appears on the lower fascia veneer and both door
waist rails. The award-winning Bentley Rotating Display includes a
central dial with the Boodles jewellery motif, while other bespoke
touches include Boodles illuminated door sills and ‘one of one’ engraved
treadplates.
Mulliner and Boodles can each lay claim to
centuries at the highest levels of design and craftsmanship. Mulliner,
now the bespoke commissioning division of Bentley, can trace its origins
to a Northampton coachbuilding firm in 1760 that was commissioned to
create coaches for the Royal Mail. Boodles, meanwhile, was established
in 1798 in the prosperous trading city of Liverpool and has become
synonymous with jewellery of exceptional quality; its ‘Raindance’ ring
was chosen for the V&A Museum’s permanent exhibition as an icon of
British jewellery design.
The Boodles Bentley Continental GTC is
the fruit of their collaboration, a true one-of-one creation. It is
offering for sale from the 11th of April onwards.
