It’s a new grand tourer.
The 2020 Geneva Motor Show is less than a month away, which means automakers are preparing for one of the most prominent auto shows of the year. Bentley will arrive with the Mulliner Bacalar, a mysterious new vehicle that “represents Grand Touring at its most exhilarating.” Bentley dropped a teaser photo of the car’s name and wheel design along with a short video that appears to show a small portion of the car we’ll see next month.
Bentley says the new car from the coachbuilder takes inspiration from the Bentley EXP 100 GT concept that debuted last August. The lone teaser image shows a wheel of similar design to that seen on the concept. The short teaser video does reveal some curvy sheet metal that looks almost identical to the concept’s rear-end styling with the sloping roof blending into the rear deck and fascia. The Mulliner Bacalar will be hand-built by the iconic coachbuilder using “sustainable and ethically-sourced materials,” according to the automaker.
Bentley Is Making Moves:
One thing Bentley didn’t tease was the car’s powertrain. Bentley designed the EXP 100 GT concept as a preview for an ultra-luxurious grand tourer for the year 2035 – not a new Mulliner for 2020 – which means the concept used a battery-electric powertrain. Bentley claimed it could produce 1,106 pound-feet (1,500-Newton-meter) of torque and could rocket the luxurious coupe to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in 2.5 seconds with a top speed of 186 miles per hour (300 kilometers per hour).
It’ll be interesting to see how close the Mulliner sticks to the EXP 100 GT’s styling, though Bentley did say it only served as inspiration for the Bacalar’s design. We’ll get our best look at the Bentley Mulliner Bacalar March 3, along with a lot more information, though Bentley says the Bacalar "will only be enjoyed by a very few." Sorry.
THE BENTLEY MULLINER BACALAR - THE FUTURE OF COACHBUILDING
(Crewe, 12 February 2020) Bentley will reveal the future of coachbuilding at next month’s Geneva International Motor Show with the unveiling of the Bentley Mulliner Bacalar.
Exquisitely hand-built by Bentley Mulliner, the oldest coachbuilder in the world, the Bacalar represents Grand Touring at its most exhilarating. Sustainable and ethically-sourced materials are fused with a beautiful yet dramatic design inspired by Bentley’s centenary concept car, the EXP 100 GT. Many will get to see the Bentley Mulliner Bacalar following its reveal at 08:30 GMT, 3 March, 2020. But it will only be enjoyed by a very few.