The Bentley GT Mulliner Blackline
Numbers prove that about 38 percent of new orders for a Bentley Continental GT come with the option of black bright ware, instead of having bright chrome on the outside of this luxurious Gran Turismo model from Crewe, it seems that just shy of half of the customer base prefer to see black details on their new Bentley, and until now this wasn’t an option for the special GT Mulliner edition.
That has changed now, with the introduction of the GT Mulliner Blackline, a handbuilt car that comes with a myriad of changes compared to the regular GT Mulliner, and as of now this new Blackline option is offered on both the coupe and the convertible version, imagine this on a deep black metallic car, that must look so intimidating given the size of the Bentley GT, and while the press car is presented in a very dark metallic violet shade which looks great too, personally I would go all blacked out.
Having the otherwise chrome details on the outside of these Bentley GT Mulliner Blackline makes them look even more contemporary, while chrome oozes class, black trim completely transforms this high-performance four-seater GT into something completely different, more menacing, and surely appealing to a wide audience given the number of GT that are ordered this way already, now you can have it on your new GT Mulliner too.
On the special GT Mulliner Blackline, just about the only thing kept bright is the Bentley Winged B badge at the front and rear, but the radiator grille bezel goes black, the typical satin silver upper mirror caps on the regular GT Mulliner turn to Beluga Black on the Blackline version, while another Mulliner signature, the matrix wing vents go dark too with bright Mulliner branding. On the other hand, the radiator grille stays black with bright edges for a 3D look, and the grille insets in the lower bumper turn black too.
Massive 22-inch black wheels are standard on the GT Mulliner Blackline, naturally, these come with the self-leveling badge on the center cap, but as an option, you can go for a black wheel with contrast polished insets, personally, I would keep the all-black rims if I’m honest, they just suit this Blackline version perfectly, and that big B on the center is enough contrast to keep it interesting and luxurious looking, no need for more brightwork on these wheels.
If you think you’ll have a hard time selecting an exterior color from the vast palette Mulliner offers, you’ll be in for a surprise when you start looking at the endless list of possibilities for the interior. If you take the easy way out you can opt for one of eight three-color combinations, but where’s the fun in that, so you’ll have to specify something really bespoke for your new GT Mulliner Blackline.
The press release states: “As part of the standard Mulliner Driving Specification, the interior incorporates Bentley’s unique “Diamond in Diamond” quilting for the seats, doors, and rear quarter panels, featuring both contrast and accent stitching running through the diamond layout. With almost 400,000 stitches in the cabin of each car, each diamond contains exactly 712 individual stitches, all precisely aligned to point to the center of the diamond it creates. A true mark of unrivaled automotive craftsmanship.” So you’ll even have to specify the color for the stitching next to just about any panel on the dashboard and central console, the time of just walnut wood is long gone at Bentley Mulliner.
Some might state you’ll just have to go for the largest engine possible, which in this case on the Bentley GT is the iconic W12 twin-turbo 6-Liter engine that delivers 635 PS, but some state the lighter 4-Liter V8 with ‘just’ 550 PS is the better option for this car, I’ve been told it is more agile compared to the more lazy W12 engine, while the latter does offer effortless performance.
