On the occasion of the debut of the all-new Bentley Mulsanne at the IAA Frankfurt show, we had again an interview with Dirk Van Braekel on the form language of the Mulsanne and the art of (future) Bentley styling…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

We met with Dirk Van Braekel in the reception rooms of the Bentley stand at the Frankfurt show, which was tastefully decorated with impressive artwork and drawings made by Bentley designers.  We wanted also to know more about this…

This sculpture, made by Jonathan Punter, aims to encapsulate the incredible speed of Bentley cars in a dynamic, modern form. Created digitally and then machined in solid walnut in celebrates Bentley’s material excellence, as well as the use of appropriate technology. Veneered elements and polished base add a handcrafted accent to the piece.  

Dirk van Braeckel: The idea was born within our design team, to complement the charity work already done by one of our designers who organized sporty events to sponsor good causes. As a designer is also an artist, the idea rose to auction the actual tridimensional objects, models, paintings and drawings made by these designers in the course of their work.

The drawings made by Bentley chief interior designer Robin Page...

The auction will probably be held in London at the end of this year, for the Christie Hospital of Cancer Medicine in Manchester. We have now already collected some 40 artworks, a few of which are on show here. The Bentley customers have an emotional bond with the marque, and through their lifestyle are often keen art lovers. We expect therefore a large interest from them at the auction.

We wanted to know if the future Bentley styling will also reflect the avant- garde future technical  solutions we will undoubtedly also find in Bentley cars in the coming years.

Dirk Van Braekel: As you have seen with our new flagship, the Mulsanne, the styling will always reflect our values and tradition(s.).

Bentley styling will always reflect the values and traditions of the marque... as this design book of the new Mulsanne amply shows.

Concerning the new technical developments, high performance will always be one of our priorities. But of course we are working on environment-friendly solutions. The engine of the Supersports has a flexfuel module, and this will also be adopted on the Mulsanne. The engine of our flagship is already 15 % more economical in comparison with the same engine used in the Arnage. The new Mulsanne is also our most aerodynamic car. Of course, the VW group is working on new technical solutions, which will be made available to all the marques, and, as you said, it can be reasonably expected that they will also find their way in Bentley cars. The bio-fuel solution which we are adopting now, is a very good one…

This This sculpture, made by Timothy Potts,  is named “Birkin 137”, and Timothy wanted to encapsulate the spirit of the Bentley Boys. In 1937 Tim Birkin set a new lap record at Brooklands of 137, 96 mph. It is almost impossible to imagine what this must have been like. The sculpture is an attempt to convey the intensity of his experience.

Of course, every morning when I open the door of our design department, I step a few years into the future. Developing a design and make it ready for production is a lengthy process, which takes years.

We asked finally whether there would be room for a more compact, even sportier Bentley which would breathe the purposefulness of the legendary and iconic 3 litre Le Mans open tourers…

Dirk Van Braekel: Our most compact and sportiest car at the moment is the Continental GT. The car is already a design or styling icon, and clients are saying that we should not mess with it, as it is, as they say, our (Porsche) 911… The next Continental GT will have some significant styling developments, but will be recognizable as a Continental GT…

In our styling or form language, we will look for integrity, emphasizing coachbuilding craftsmanship, subtle shapes and sharp, clean lines which evoke character.

Another look in the styling book of the new Mulsanne, showing some styling proposals in the interior...

For a Bentley interior, the special ambiente created by the shapes and the use of noble materials is most important.

All this craftsmanship costs time of course. Note that it takes 170 hours to build the interior of the Musanne, the whole car takes not less than 420 hours.  To put these figures into perspective, one should know that building a Bentley Continental takes 200 hours…

We thanked Dirk Van Braekel for the interview, and show you here some further photos of the art work done by Bentley stylists, as indeed, as Mr. Van Braekel puts it, “a Bentley is a sculpture in automotive terms”… and designing a Bentley is a form of art, we would conclude…