The Art of Luxury Issue 43 2020 | Page 35

AUTOMOTIVE The centre piece of the Flying Spur’s interior - its steering wheel - is home to some of the most elaborate hand-stitching and leatherwork to be found anywhere in the automotive industry. A cross-stitched steering wheel involves five meters of thread being precisely passed through 352 sew holes in order to achieve 168 distinctive cross stitches. A single steering wheel is stitched in three and a half hours by a skilled Bentley craftsperson, using a bespoke pair of needles and a motion too complicated to be replicated by machine. With the use of five separate types of sewing machine, different thicknesses of thread are applied throughout the cabin, contributing to the overall level of complexity and detail underpinning the Flying Spur’s interior. For example, stitches around airbag components are delicately applied with a thinner thread to ensure safety remains a prime consideration. Unmatched for comfort, the four seats of the new Flying Spur require a total of 12 hours to assemble by hand. The stand-out optional detail embellishing each seat’s headrest is the embroidered Bentley wings, comprised of 5,103 individual stitches. The cabin in finished with three-dimensional diamond quilted leather door inserts - an automotive first, inspired by the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 design concept. www.bentleymotors.com Issue 43 2020 The Art of Luxury 35