The Gentleman Magazine Issue 20 | April 2020 | Page 34

Further promoting sustainable craftsmanship and supporting
a unique industry, the luxury overmats are precision woven on
traditional Wilton looms in England using the finest natural
yarns. These Wilton-woven pure wool deep pile carpets are
hand-carved for the footwell and rear luggage compartment,
following the embroidered pattern found on the seats.
Thanks to a partnership with another local supplier, based in
the nearby Peak District, the Bacalar also offers customers the
rare opportunity to create individual artisan piping, chosen
to enhance the dynamic styling lines of the seat architecture.
This piping can be designed and customised to feature unique
patterns, colour combinations and personal embossed effects,
such as a customer’s signature or special, individual customer
motifs.
Even the paintwork on the Bacalar has been specially chosen
for its sustainable characteristics. The pigment reflects an eye-
catching transition of colour that intensifies the drama, form
and contours of the sculpted exterior in different lights.
The pigment is synthetically-manufactured silicon dioxide
platelet coated with iron oxide. This synthetic process uses
rice husk ash – a by-product from the rice industry – to create
90 per cent pure silicon dioxide, thereby reducing rice husk
landfill waste.
Each Bacalar will be hand-crafted in Mulliner’s dedicated
workshop at the Bentley factory in Crewe – the world’s first
certified carbon neutral factory for luxury car production.
A Unique Driving Experience
The Bentley Bacalar combines bespoke, hand-crafted luxury
with state-of-the-art technology to guarantee an extraordinary
driving experience.
With all-new coachwork brought to life by Bentley Mulliner,
at the heart of the Bacalar is Bentley’s renowned 6.0-litre,
twin-turbocharged W12 TSI engine mated to a technically-
advanced drivetrain.
The air suspension system controls ride comfort and lateral
roll, cushioning passengers from excessive movement, as well
as making the Bacalar feel effortlessly precise.
The Legend Of Mulliner
The legend of Mulliner is woven into the very fabric of Bentley.
The tradition of bespoke craftsmanship has been passed down
from generation to generation since the 1500s, when Mulliner
was founded as a saddler.
In the 1760s, the Mulliner family business refocused
on coachbuilding and rose to prominence when it was
commissioned to build and maintain carriages for the Royal
Mail postal service. With the arrival of the motor car, the
company stepped away from horse-drawn carriages and
focussed on coachbuilding for mechanical propulsion.
The then independent Mulliner crafted a bespoke, 3-litre,
two-seater Bentley for the 1923 Olympia Show in London,
creating a bond between the two companies that would last
for decades. Mulliner bodied over 240 Bentley chassis in the
1920s alone and became renowned as the very best of the new
coachbuilding firms.
Perhaps the most famous was Mulliner’s design for the 1952
R-Type Continental, still considered one of the most beautiful
cars of all time. The fastest, four-seat sports car of the era, the
R-Type’s iconic beauty continues to influence design today
through the Bentley Continental GT.
Mulliner cemented its partnership with Bentley in 1959 by
becoming part of the business. It later moved into the old
engineering experimental department at Bentley headquarters
in Crewe and has remained there ever since. Today, around
40 employees, ranging from specialists with over 40 years of
Mulliner experience to apprentices learning the skills that
have been honed over decades of manufacturing, work for the
company.
The Bacalar’s dual-clutch, eight-speed transmission offers
faster, more efficient gear changes. An adaptive chassis uses
Bentley’s intelligent, 48-volt Dynamic Ride System to ensure
a responsive ride and exceptional handling and refinement in
all conditions.
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