The Gentleman Magazine Issue 14 | April 2019 | Page 28
INSPIRED BY A RACING LEGEND:
CONTINENTAL GT NUMBER 9 EDITION BY MULLINER
Bentley has created the ultimate collector’s version of the all-
new Continental GT to celebrate the company’s centenary in
2019.
The Continental GT Number 9 Edition by Mulliner is inspired
by Bentley’s illustrious motorsport past and incorporates a
number of distinctive features into the world’s most luxurious
Grand Tourer. Just 100 examples will be handbuilt by Mulliner
in Crewe, England, based on the Continental GT this year.
Number 9 Edition by Mulliner pays homage to Sir Henry Ralph
Stanley ‘Tim’ Birkin – one of the original, ‘Bentley Boys’ of the
1920s and ‘30s. Birkin was a Bentley customer, investor and a
racing driver, full of entrepreneurial spirit and ambition – and
through the determined collaboration of man and machine,
the 4 ½ litre ‘Blower’ was born.
No.9 was the supercharged Bentley ‘Blower’ Sir Tim raced at
the 1930 Le Mans 24 Hours. He commissioned the production
of a series of 4 ½ Litre Bentleys, powered by a supercharger
developed with independent engineer Amherst Villiers.
Power increased from around 110 bhp to 175 bhp with the
supercharger installation. The imposing green car has since
become the iconic racing Bentley of the pre-war years.
The Number 9 Edition by Mulliner is distinguished by No.9
badgework and a bold, matching front grille graphic. Customers
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have the option of either Viridian green or Beluga black
exterior paint, with 22-inch Mulliner Driving Specification
wheels also in these colours, plus Black Line Specification and
carbon bodykit.
Inside the Number 9 Edition by Mulliner customers have
the choice of Cumbrian Green or Beluga heritage hides, with
increased gloss levels to the seats, inner door panel and other
areas. Debossed ‘B’ logos adorn the seat headrests and door
panels as they did the door pads of the 1930 ‘Blower’.
A uniquely crafted dashboard features Engine Spin on the
centre console. Often known as ‘Turned Aluminium’, Engine
Spin was a popular racing car and aviation finish in the 1920s
and ‘30s as it limited light reflection.
The centre console of the vehicle is enhanced by the inclusion
of an exclusive British Jaeger clock face. Developed through a
partnership between Mulliner and British Jaeger, the clock is
inspired by the original No. 9 ‘Blower’s’ dials and uses the same
traditional manufacturing methods of race car dials from the
vintage era.
The Continental GT’s revolutionary Bentley Rotating Display
has been further enhanced with a Bentley ‘Blower’ artefact. The
Continental GT Number 9 Edition by Mulliner features a wood
insert from the seat of Birkin’s iconic 1930 No. 9 Le Mans race
, Security in Motion”