The 12 Bacalars’ Conclusion, A Pinnacle Of Bentley’s Bespoke Craftsmanship

An ultimate expression of two-seat, open-air luxury, the Bacalar, was the first in a new series of pinnacle bespoke projects by Bentley Mulliner that have led its return to coachbuilding. 

Today, 12 of these handcrafted and rarest Bentleys of the modern era have come to the final phases of their completion.

Eight Bacalars have now been handed to their owners, while the final four are in the last phases of preparation in Mulliner’s Crewe workshop for transport and delivery. 

Strictly limited to 12 examples and take six months to complete, each has had every detail specified by their owners, and as such are totally bespoke to them.

All of the Bacalar has a roofless Barchetta design with all-new and highly muscular coachwork, embracing a myriad of options and materials.

Each carbon fibre body is finished in a bespoke colour of the owner’s choice, and they sit on unique 22-inch tri-finish wheels, with polished faces, dark grey satin spokes and accent highlights.

Uniquely designed details and features in the cabin emphasise their coachbuilt character, with a plethora of ways for the 12 owners to express their personal taste and commission a unique interior.

Notably, the sustainable and ethically-sourced materials previewed in the EXP 100 GT concept car have now become reality in a number of the Bacalars. 

E.g., paint containing ash from rice husks for a rich metallic finish, natural British wool and 5,000-year-old Riverwood sourced from the ancient Fenlands of East Anglia.

Then, precious inlays and unique finishes also adorn the driver controls and the 148,199 individual stitches on the unique Bacalar quilt of each seat. None of these have been seen before on a Bentley.

Among the 12, one of the finished Bacalars took pride of place on Bentley’s show stand at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

It was finished in bespoke Sunset Orange, with tailored tri-colour 22-inch wheels in dark grey satin with polished faces and gloss black highlights providing a bold contrast to the vibrant exterior. 

Up front, the centres of the headlamps were colour matched to the Sunset Orange bodywork, with the set’s inner surrounds matching the gloss black grilles.

Next, the bonnet vents, wing mirrors, side skirts and rear diffuser were all in satin carbon fibre, as were the ‘power humps’ behind the front seats that were accented with Sunset Orange brightware.

Exhaust finishers with gloss black outers and matte black inners complement all these elements, and as for the side vents and the rest of the exterior, they were finished in gloss black. 

Inside, its white and black colour split with Mandarin Orange accents creates a striking contemporary interior theme.

A satin carbon fibre technical finish encapsulates the cabin, sweeping from one side to the other, matching the exterior technical details harmoniously. 

Plus, it also has mixtures of leather and Alcantara in white, black and orange, gloss and satin metals in black, dark tint and bright chrome finishes, and twin usage of both gloss and satin carbon fibre.

On top of that, Mandarin Orange leather accentuates the form of the top roll, the centre line in the steering wheel, the door release and gear lever. 

This continues with further stitching details to the rear of the seats within the oval perforated Beluga piping and hand cross stitching along the door, which the styling line flows to the centre console.

Other bespoke details chosen by the owner were the analogue clock faces of the Bentley Rotating Display that provide a splash of contrast in Bacalar Blue.

Second, the carpets feature a ‘diamond carved’ pattern, with binding and stitching in Mandarin Orange.

Third, the split line between satin carbon fibre and gloss black in the luggage area, which was specified to be in satin dark tint.

Lastly, the bespoke luggage that fits behind the seats feature Alcantara uppers with embroidery in Mandarin Orange and oval-perforated beluga piping with a Mandarin Orange core.

Bentley Motors’ head of colour, materials and finishes, Maria Mulder, concluded, “Designing a Bacalar is an exercise in imagination, with the material, colour and finish of practically every interior and exterior surface being bespoke. Regardless of your personal style, whether it be to specifying your Bacalar with a bold Yellow Flame exterior paint synthesised with rice husk ash, or a more subtle Moss Green that reflects Bentley’s heritage, developing your own artisan piping, or co-create a unique fabric blend, the Bacalar has provided all of these opportunities.”

That said, the looming conclusion of the Bacalars will allow the Mulliner division to focus attention towards their next project, which will be revealed soon.