Bentley's pays tribute to heritage with one-off Continental GT

New Delhi: Bentley’s Crewe factory is marking 80 years of production, and Mulliner has marked the milestone with a unique Continental GT Azure. It takes inspiration from the first car ever produced at the facility.

The original Crewe-built car was a 1946 Bentley Mark VI, and the special Continental GT borrows heavily from its classic black-and-green colour combination. Bentley displayed the modern tribute alongside the original Mark VI from its Heritage Collection.

Mulliner deliberately avoided Bentley’s extensive catalogue of contemporary paint and finish choices for this project. Instead, the designers recreated the colour theme of the original Mark VI, giving the Continental GT a Barnato Green body with a Mulliner Black roof.

The exterior combines this heritage-inspired finish with modern Bentley touches. Azure-specific brightwork, a carbon-fibre Styling Specification and 22-inch black and bright-machined alloy wheels bring the car firmly into the modern era, while black brake callipers complete the look.

The cabin similarly has a blend of classic inspiration and contemporary craftsmanship. Cricket Ball red leather is paired with Beluga secondary hide, while diamond quilting and embroidered details add a modern Mulliner touch.

The dashboard features burr walnut trim inspired by the Mark VI, combined with a Grand Black piano veneer panel. A slim chrome strip runs across the dashboard and continues into the door waistrails, adding another bespoke detail.

The Mark VI was an important model in Bentley’s history. It had a 4,257cc B60 straight-six engine and was the company’s first production car to feature a standard steel body. The model was engineered by J.P. Blatchley and developed a reputation for covering more than 100,000 miles without requiring a major engine rebuild.

H.J. Mulliner, which was still operating as an independent coachbuilder at the time, made 241 four-door saloon bodies for Mark VI models. The dark-green example now held by Bentley’s Heritage Collection was originally delivered in January 1950 to paint company executive William Lount.

Mulliner has also incorporated subtle references to the historic car throughout the new Continental GT. The door treadplates feature outline illustrations of the Mark VI and modern Continental GT, along with the inscription “Celebrating the 80th Anniversary of production in Crewe, 1946-2026.”