Queen Elizabeth II’s Mulsanne Added to Bentley Collection

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Queen Elizabeth II’s Mulsanne Added to Bentley Collection

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Bentley Motors today said that the most recent addition to its Heritage Collection is a custom 2020 Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase, the final example of the Mulsanne handcrafted at Bentley’s Dream Factory in Crewe. It previously resided with the Royal household. It was commissioned by the late Queen, in Barnato paint with a Twine and Cumbrian Green interior. (AutoInformed: Milestones – 90th Birthday of Derby Bentleys)

Concealed blue police lights, a siren and a bullhorn were also installed, with a dedicated switch panel hidden beneath a walnut-veneered door behind the gear lever. The starting point was an exterior in solid Barnato green, paired with an interior in Twine and Cumbrian hide, Burr Walnut wood veneers and deep lambswool carpets. To this, the specification added rear privacy curtains and the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom inlaid into the door waistrails (the bottom sill, Yank), while the front center armrests were removed in lieu of a custom-sized tray to accommodate the Queen’s handbag.

*Bentley’s Heritage Collection now consists of 45 cars, from the oldest Bentley in the world (the 1919 3-Litre EXP2) through to the 2021 Continental GT Speed, representing every decade of the company’s 104-year history. Ther are 37 road registered, road legal cars to show the  development of the Bentley model range over the same period, supported by eight of the most famous motorsport and record-breaking vehicles, including three Speed 8s, both generations of Continental GT3, and Pikes Peak and Ice Speed Record cars.

All of the cars in the Heritage Collection are maintained and on display at Bentley’s carbon neutral Dream Factory in Crewe, England. Customers, VIPs, media guests and Bentley colleagues are all able to view the company’s history through the Collection as part of the factory tour. There is a charge or taxation to view the representations of Bentley history.

About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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