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