2014 Bentley Flying Spur 6.0l Awd Super Low Miles on 2040-cars

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Bentley Mulliner Bacalar is probably a roadster

The upcoming coachbuilt Bentley Mulliner Bacalar has been teased before its Geneva Motor Show reveal once again. Instead of one of the wheels or a glimpse of its rear quarter panels, we get a rather clear view of the interior. Bentley highlights the fact that there are only two seats, making this only the second two-seat car the company has offered since 1930. But looking closely, it also suggests that the Mulliner Bacalar is a convertible. The first indication is the angle of the photo, which is clearly from high up, and generally unobstructed. Perhaps it could be a design buck, but there's more to it than that. At the bottom of the photo, there's a black, horizontal object obscuring the base of the seats. It's too close to the seat backs to be the dashboard, so we think it's actually the windshield header. Then there's the placement of the seatbelts. They're mounted really low in the interior, seemingly below the window line. That's something automakers normally do if there are no pillars to mount to higher up, and if you didn't want to mount them to the seats. There also appears to be trim wrapping around behind the rear cargo area at the same height, further suggesting there's no solid roof and pillars in place. With all this under consideration, plus a previous report of a convertible in the works, we're thinking the Bacalar is a droptop of some sort. Taking a turn back to what's obvious in the photo, the interior is clearly a two-seat design, and you can see that it features matching luggage to fit the cavity behind the seats. The seats are upholstered in a nifty and sporty-looking diamond pattern with contrasting gray and yellow fabrics. Bentley doesn't specifically say what materials are used, but it says everything was sustainably sourced. The Mulliner Bacalar will be fully revealed on March 3 at the Geneva Motor Show. It will apparently take styling inspiration from the electric EXP 100 GT concept, and Bentley is stressing the sustainability aspect of the car. The same report that said a convertible was coming, though, also said it would probably get a W12 engine, and at least the convertible part of the report seems to be true. Also expect a price tag well into the seven figure range. Related Video:

2014 Bentley Flying Spur

Redefining Super Luxury On A Shrinking Planet
Anyone on Earth with access to the Internet, a television or radio for the last 20 years knows that China is no longer the poor stronghold for strict Communist ideals that it was for much of the 20th Century. (Well, at least not in some places.) Traveling to China twice in less than a month - first to Shanghai for a very international auto show and now to Beijing to drive and review the 2014 Bentley Flying Spur - I've learned that there's no lack of personal wealth, at least in two of the world's largest cities.
And yet, even I think the scene before me is a little bit ridiculous. Here I am, slowly climbing up a hillside to reach a fortification at something called Zhuanduo Pass, where roughly a dozen pristine examples of Western decadence sit idling their hand-built 12-cylinder engines in the shadow of China's revered and awesome Great Wall. Not five kilometers south of here, I'd passed an old man in traditional all-black garb, literally carrying a bundle of sticks on his back from one side of a village to the other. Now as I look through the snug-fitting and silent side glass of the my $200,000+ palace on wheels, I'm more apt to see fat German tourists crisping in the hot Chinese sun while blowing the equivalent of an average Chinese monthly paycheck on lunch and a few Great Wall souvenirs.

Bentley planning to rejuvenate and modernize its design language

The sold-out Bacalar moves Bentley's design language in a sharper, bolder direction. It's limited to 12 units, so the odds of seeing one in the wild are low, but its head-turning lines will influence the company's future models. "It was appreciated very well by its target audience, but also by our traditional customers. I was surprised and happy to get positive remarks. I feel encouraged to really push the subject of rejuvenating and modernizing Bentley's design language," Stefan Sielaff, Bentley's lead designer, told Autoblog. He added his team will accelerate this process in the coming years. "We will take steps forward," he affirmed. Bentley remains a relatively small company, and it recently overhauled a large chunk of its range by releasing the new Continental variants, so don't expect to discover its next design language in the coming months. It's more of a long-term goal for the firm. Luckily, it has plenty of projects in the pipeline. Company boss Adrian Hallmark strongly hinted at "an even more luxurious and even bigger" version of the Bentayga, likely to succeed the Mulsanne (pictured) at the top of the line-up, and he suggested Bentley is tentatively planning to release its first electric model -- possibly with a cutting-edge solid-state battery pack -- about halfway through the 2020s. Speaking of, electrification technology will give stylists the opportunity to explore new design avenues. "I think that, when we talk about an electric car, and only from the design point of view, we have to work on efficiency first of all. This has a certain impact on our design language. It means we need to focus more on aerodynamics and on lightweight design, and this has a direct impact on the styling. I personally think it is a big chance for us; it will help us push the design language forward," he concluded.