Only 100 of The Mulsanne W.O. Edition To Be Made

They say a name is only as big as the history behind it. The name ‘Bentley’, is one of those names that has a massive legacy behind it. Come next year though, Bentley Motors will celebrate its 100-year existence by using the name of its founder on its iconic Mulsanne model. Called ‘The Mulsanne W.O. Edition by Mulliner’, the British luxury motoring brand previewed its celebratory model for the big 100 two weeks ago and to no surprise, it’s a stunning idea from grille to tailpipe, from wood to hide.

This limited edition of the Mulsanne will be capped to 100 units according to Bentley Motors and its a fitting number no doubt. It of course pays homage to founder the brand’s pioneering founder, Mr. Walter Owen Bentley, hence the Mulsanne’s very vintage feel in luxury, a throwback to the 1900s, the era in which W.O. Bentley thrived in design. The W.O Edition Mulsanne more specifically carries some very direct cues from the year 1930, the year in which the Bentley founder designed his last production model for his beloved luxury car brand. What are the key features of this stunning Mulsanne?

For one, each Mulsanne holds a slice of the actual crankshaft from Walter Owen’s very own personal 8-litre Bentley of yesteryear, placed fittingly in either a cocktail cabinet or bottle cooler, depending on a customer’s preference. This celebratory Mulsanne can of course be customised on any of the three-model Mulsanne range​, with full Mulliner options at the ready for customers to choose from.

Other stunning features of this Mulsanne are a colour split interior cut from Bentley’s Heritage Hide, a nod to the patina of vintage cars, elegant Beluga black wheels, and other interior options that typically can be housed in the Mulsanne’s mamoth-sized structure.

Because it heralds back to W.O.’s era, the interior takes its cues from what was considered luxury living back in the day. This is why the cool cocktail cabinet option looks the way it does-vintage. A marquetry scene on the handcrafted unit depicts the geometric front matrix grille and the same headlights of the old 8-liter model reveals a display window, inside of which a piece of the aforementioned crankshaft from W.O.’s car is showcased.

Bentley tells us that, to create the marquetry scene, a number of different veneers and materials were used; four different wood types give contrast and depth to the piece, while aluminum is used to achieve the vivid highlights, signature and geometric pattern. The diamond-like borders that run parallel to each side add to the contemporary look while retaining an art-deco feel. The piece is finished in the most appropriate way of course- with Walter Owen Bentley’s signature.

The other details are also spared no expense; the Mulsanne is finished with Fireglow lambswool rugs, glass tumblers, privacy curtains to the rear doors and a rear seat entertainment system, which again, can be customised to tastes. There’s also a discreet W.O. Bentley signature badge displayed on the lower bumper, while special centenary badging adorn the self-leveling wheel centres and even the door treadplates.

This stylish Onyx paintwork you see here is on default but as always, the Mulliner division is ready to take on customer’s specific colour choices. This writer however believes that for a celebratory Mulsanne, the Onyx paint job is absolutely spot on in denoting the occasion this car celebrates- a true automotive giant of an icon- Bentley Motors. We dont know it’s price just yet, but we’re looking forward to the Mulsanne W.O. Edition’s public debut next month at the Monterey Car Week from 24th to 26th Aug. For now though, these images and videos are all there are. Enjoy!