Seen way back at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show (LAAS), the Bentley Grand Convertible has been something we've been waiting for. That's because the legendary British marque has not put out a flagship drop top since the second-gen Azure, which I believe ended production around 2010.
Sure there's the Continental GT but let's face it, it's simply not in the same league.
Turns out that the company has officially given the car a green light. But it's all been kept on the down low, until now. Tim, known by his YouTube channel, Shmee, found the car sitting at Bentley's Dubai store.
Based on the Mulsanne, it is a magnificently decadent convertible. According to Tim there will only be 19 vehicles made and it's not productionized. In other words, this means that Bentley is effectively building 19 one-off vehicles via Mulliner. That's a pretty massive undertaking for a coachbuilt automobile as there is a lot that goes into it; however, Mulliner has been doing this for ages.
This sort of explains the rather significant cost of the car. $3.5 million gets it. And, we're assuming all are spoken for by now.
Expect to see the deliveries happen in 2019, which marks the 100th anniversary of Bentley being in business. The final allocation of the 19 cars will be in customer hands for 2020.
Luck had it that I stumbled upon the world debut of the new Bentley Grand Convertible by Mulliner during my supercar shopping tour of Dubai, so I returned to Bentley Emirates to take a full detailed look and walkaround of this truly exclusive and luxurious masterpiece. With a price tag of $3.5 million for one of the 19 cars, would you? With only 19 being created in total for Bentley's centenary in 2019, to represent the year of their birth in 1919, the Grand Convertible will cost approximately £2.5m / €3m / $3.5m. As opposed to being launched as a product line, the convertible is created by Mulliner in a more traditional sense as an exclusive product. Powered by the 6.75 litre twin-turbocharged V8 found in the Mulsanne speed, it has 537PS and 1,100Nm so expect a sense of effortless power while riding in extreme luxury. It's 10mm shorter than a regular model but with the display at Bentley Emirates also including an Extended Wheelbase and the 1 of 50 Hallmark edition to explore gives a great look at the options. Thanks for watching, Tim
2014 Los Angeles Auto Show #LAAS
