Bentley Mulsanne Key Celebrates Its Centenary
Bentley's custom coachbuilding division, Mulliner, has designed a unique keycase to commemorate the brand's centennial. Made from Dark Stained Burr Walnut and Piano Black veneer, it includes a flying 'B' paperweight, a set of keys and a brochure featuring never-before-seen 1930 8 Litre imagery.
This is a great way to greet a new owner of a vehicle.
Aesthetics
Bentley is a company that takes its aesthetics seriously. This is evident in the precise placement of its quilting and the use of leather made from products of cattle and sustainable-managed forests, as well as the unique patterns of its levers. A car like the Continental GT W12 beckons as you drive by, displaying its sculptural beauty and power through carefully curated lighting.
The Continental GT is the most sophisticated open-top Bentley ever created. The rear tonneau of Continental GT, for instance, featured the biggest piece of dark-stained Burr Walnut veneer that was book-matched. Similarly, the electrically-operated glass sunroof and champagne cooler that incorporated hand-blown and hand-cut lead crystal bottles marked a new benchmark in luxury and innovation.
It is this unique design, quality and attention to detail that have established Bentley as the world's most desirable automotive brand. The company continues to push the boundaries using the most advanced technologies and hand-crafted products. This includes the introduction of an electronic tilt-opening rear sunroof and a handcrafted Apple iPad docking station.
A century after its founding, Bentley - now under sole Volkswagen ownership following years of wrangling with BMW it celebrated its centenary in 2019. The company planned a range of special events and launches to mark the historic occasion before the planning of a pandemic became a priority.
Design
Bentley is known for its extravagant and luxurious automobiles, but even keys are designed to make a statement. The Bentayga Key is made of sterling silver, and has a large B' logo to signal to everyone that you're driving a Bentley. It's also engraved with the years 1919 and 2019 to mark the company's centenary.
The Mulsanne was revamped and redesigned by Bentley Mulliner to become the ultimate Grand Touring car. It has two opposing pairs of rear seats that are designed to be reminiscent of luxury private aviation and provides passengers with unbeatable comfort and privacy. A custom heating, air conditioning, and ventilation system has been developed to ensure that every passenger has the ideal climate control setting.
Alongside a range of stylishly executed styling changes and a host of elegantly executed styling changes, the Mulsanne is powered by twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre W12 engine that can produce 560bhp and 479lb ft of torque. This amazing power is coupled with a new suspension that provides Bentley's trademark smooth ride.
In celebration of its Centenary, Bentley introduced a unique specification called the Centenary Specification for cars that were built in 2019. The cabin features cross-stitching and contrast stitching in Centenary Gold throughout. The Bentley Wings on the headrests and seats are embroidered in Centenary Gold, adding to the feeling of celebration. A bespoke Bentley key case is included in the Centenary Specification, making the Bentley experience all-inclusive.
Function
The Bentley Mulsanne key comes with an opening button for the trunk, as well as a button which starts the car. It also has a switch to switch on the parking break. There is a knob to fold and unfold the mirrors when parking in tight spots. Using this feature can aid in getting in and out of the car more quickly.
Each key takes two days to make. It is cut by hand, shaped, sewn, sealed and polished to create an extremely high-end finish. It is compact and strong and fits the Bentley key perfectly. Its style is similar to the Volkswagen Phaeton large car's key, but it feels much heavier and has a premium feel.
It also comes with Secure-A-Key that helps to prevent theft of keys with no key. The device is inserted into the remote control fob and is disabled in the event that the key isn't used for a few minutes. It stops thieves from transmitting the key's frequency to other devices that can unlock and start the car.
Bentley's distinctive design reflects company's values of excellence in craftsmanship, engineering expertise, and cutting-edge technology. Over bentley key fob are employed at its Crewe headquarters, which is responsible for the development, design, and production of Bentley cars. These workers apply skills that have been handed down for generations and apply them to cutting-edge automotive technology. This is the hallmark of British manufacturing at its finest.
Personalisation
Bentley's bespoke division, Mulliner, allows customers to create their own car. Guests sit at a series of images referred to as "mood stations" and pick a set of photos ranging from scenic vistas to sporting events - that inspire them to design their own. Every time a choice is made, the pattern that emerges reveals the model colors, style and color preferences for the personalized Bentley.
The resulting configuration is stored on individual R.F.I.D.-enabled key cards, which are presented to the guests in a custom key case. Keys can also be fitted with Bentley Muliner Personalised Welcome Lamps that illuminate the door's opening path with the owner's name, or emblem as they are approaching the vehicle.
Bentley says it takes roughly 500 man hours to design and assemble the average Mulsanne. The unwillingness to embrace modern technology is the primary factor to this time-consuming effort. The Crewe factory workers do not employ a machine to place perfectly-matched cross stitched leather seats. Instead, they do it by hand. Drivers must park their vehicles manually, rather than relying on the built-in sensors to direct them to perpendicular and parallel spaces.
During the event, Bentley displayed its Mulliner personalization capabilities using an exclusive example of the Mulsanne W.O. Edition, which pays homage to the man who founded the company, William Osler Bentley. The 100 limited-edition cars include a special key that displays a small portion of the 1930 8 Liter's crankshaft.