Bentley has unveiled Grand Convertible, the most sophisticated open-top car ever created by Bentley, at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. Iconic yet understated in style and fashioned entirely by hand from the very finest materials, this unrivalled flagship of luxury represents the ultimate in powerful, sensuous roofless motoring.
"This concept demonstrates Bentley's ability to create a pinnacle convertible Grand Tourer, while embodying elegance beyond compare," commented Bentley Chairman and CEO, Wolfgang Dürheimer. "With this car we combine the opulent Mulsanne experience with the full sensory indulgence of open-air touring, continuing to unite luxury and performance in new ways."
Resplendent in Sequin Blue, originally a bespoke colour created from a single sequin from a customer's haute couture gown, the Grand Convertible features a silver "liquid metal" finish to the bonnet and windscreen frame. Contrasting the rich blue body work is the Bentley directional wheel design, handed to the left and right sides of the car and finished by hand before being polished to a high shine.
The interior of the Grand Convertible is a showcase for the abilities of Bentley's master craftsmen. 14 naturally tanned leather hides are merged together with progressive-diamond quilting, with the shape of the pattern changing over the seats and doors in a cabin sized for four adults. Bright blue is used to highlight the extraordinary skill of Bentley's trim specialists, with Sequin Blue thread cross-stitched by hand through the linen-coloured leather. The light hide is contrasted by the sleek elegance of Beluga leather around the top of the doors and extending back to the rear tonneau, framed in polished chrome.
The tonneau itself provides the most significant example of Bentley craftsmanship at its finest. Replete with book-matched, mirror-finished and dark-stained Burr Walnut, the tonneau features the largest piece of wood veneer ever applied to a Bentley. Fashioned entirely by hand, this expanse of veneer is only paralleled by the creations of the world's best furniture makers, and is finished with elegant parallel lines of chromed steel.