OUR CARS
Bentley’s designers will help spec your car
t’s perhaps no surprise to
learn that if you have the
dosh to buy a Bentley, you
can expect a personalised
experience when speccing your car.
This has long been the case, but
Bentley is bringing it to the digital
age with its Bentley Network app.
We’re already in our Continental
GT, so we did a hypothetical exercise
t o s p e c my ne x t B e nt le y i n t he w ay
that so many loyal Bentley owners do.
First up is the questionnaire. Having
shown interest in a new car, I receive
a l i n k i n my B e nt le y app i nb ox. It
asks questions aimed at someone
with a far more grandiose lifestyle
than me, but I do my best: favourite
watch (Cartier),
fashion (Chanel),
lifestyle brands, hotel
(Suga r Beach St
Lucia), cars (always
hard but I picked a
Merc Pagoda, Audi
Quattro, BMW ‘E31’
8 Series and Porsche
We sample Bentley’s customer car-speccing experience
BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT
365), all of which paint a picture of
what my preferences might be.
Five days later, via the app, I
receive two moodboards in PDF
form from senior interior designer
Jonathan Punter, who introduces
himself and explains the themes.There are two options: Dark
Sapphire Exterior/Imperial Blue
and Linen Interior (pictured)
and Dove Grey Exterior/Damson
Interior. They’re both up my street
- understated but with interesting
details. The first is my favourite.
P u nt e r s ay s it ’s “a s oph i s t ic at e d
interpretation of the contrasting
elements of beach and ocean inspired
by the rich deep blues and
contrasting light sands of the tropics”.
Contrasting elements, he says,
such as the exterior brightware and
interior contrast stitch details, are
“often seen in classic products such
as Cartier watches combining rich
navy, chrome and high-contrast
detailing within the
watch face”.
The moodboards are
meant as a starting point:
Bentley head of interior
design Brett Boydell says
he’s never finalised the
spec of a car exactly thesame as the moodboard.
“You get two kinds of
customers,” he explains. “‘I
know exactly what I want’
v e r s u s ‘ y ou t e l l me ’. I e nc ou r a ge
people to go for something you can
only do in a Bentley. A totally black
interior is a waste in a Bentley. The
default interior colour is beluga or
linen. But a duo-tone can really bring
the interior to life.”
I stop the design process there,
mindful I’ve already taken up plenty
of time. But the next step would be
firming up my car’s specification
with an assigned designer. Ideally,
says Boydell, this step would be face-
to-face: “If the customer is at Jack
Barclay (in London) it is feasible, but
if they are on the other side of the
planet, we look at other ways – for
example, FaceTime or Zoom.”
The service is also offered by other
me a n s , s uc h a s t e x t or e m a i l. A t t h i s
end of the market, the customer gets
what the customer wants.
Can Bentley’s designers really
afford the time for this customer
interaction? “It’s something we’ve
committed to,” says Boydell. “It has
to be a designer – that’s what makes it
an authentic experience.”
RACHEL BURGESSRenault Mégane RS 280
MILEAGE 1203 LAST SEEN 21.8.19
A run to Brands Hatch to catch the
W Series finale was my first extended
drive in the Mégane. I’ve only driven
rock-hard Cup versions before, so
I wasn’t expecting much comfort,
but I was relieved to find our Sport
model’s ride is far more forgiving –
although it is perhaps the loudest
car I’ve ever driven on the horrible
stretch of concrete-surfaced M25
between junctions nine and 11. SD
Alpina B 4 S
MILEAGE 7550 LAST SEEN 21.8.19
Mules for the new B3 have been
spotted on European roads and
prototypes for BMW’s new 4 Series
have been spied at the Nürburgring,
so it doesn’t take a genius to work
out that a successor to our B4 S will
soon arrive. I’ll be surprised if it
doesn’t outdo the existing model
in every measurable way, but will
it look as pretty? I doubt it. RL
Ford Focus
MILEAGE 5724 LAST SEEN 7. 8 .1 9
The big sunroof on our Focus proved
useful on a recent photoshoot, with
snapper Will able to stand up through
it for some tracking shots. That said,
we think the extra glass surface
increases road noise above 50mph,
and at £995 it’s a pricey option I
could do without. Will also took some
shots out of the boot – and with the
ride set to Eco Comfort, there was no
camera shake over potholes. SO
ERRANT DRIVER ASSIST
A driver ahead braked harshly and
the Conti’s auto braking did the
same. I found its collision warning
was set to ‘late’. I changed it.
IMPRESSIVE ECONOMY
No one buys a W12 Bentley for
good economy, but 26.9mpg is
welcome nonetheless.
LOATHE IT
LOVE IT
MILEAGE 10,007WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT
To see if the third-gen Conti GT rules
the roost as the ultimate grand tourer
OWN ONE? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE
BENTLEY CONTINENTAL
GT W12
Price new £159,100 Price as tested
£208,765 Economy 26.9mpg Faults None
Expenses None Last seen 14.8.19
TEST DATA
OOUURR C CAARRSS
28 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 69
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