Bentley’s new special edition pays homage to founder’s 1930 saloon

There are only a handful of British car manufacturers as iconic as Bentley. Masters of automotive luxury, they’ve cropped up in the most rarefied circles, coveted by everyone from City workers to dignitaries. James Bond even drove one. But, despite all the special editions and limited runs the brand has produced, this might just be their best.

As the carmaker approaches its centenary next year, they have unveiled this most special of special editions. The Mulsanne W.O. Edition by Mulliner is styled after one of the greatest grand tourers to come out the UK, and is a four-wheeled homage to W.O. Bentley’s famous 1930s model. It would be the last car he would ever design for the company, so we’re glad it’s been aptly remembered here.

There is, as you’d expect, a limited run of just 100 models – with the first ones being shown at the Monterey Car week this August.

And, as you can see when the two cars are placed side-by-side, Bentley have not just created a stunning homage to the original car, but rather a time capsule with an engine. For, within each car, there will be a small piece of Walter Owen Bentley’s own person 8-litre automobile embedded into the armrest of the cocktail cabinet. Now that’s neat.

The craftsmen at H.J. Mulliner were commissioned by W.O. Bentley to create the coach for his own car, so it’s fitting that Bentley’s coachbuilders return – bringing their incredible skill and eye for detail – back to this reinvented version of the car. It’s an exquisite piece of marquetry – epitomised by the surround of the crankshaft display where you can see a rendering of Walter Owen’s original car in veneer – 419 individual pieces of veneer, in fact.

Find out what happened when we took the Bentley Continental GT to the Alps…