TREND I 0 6. 20N
ope, not a refresh. Look
closer, particularly
inside, and you’ll see
the A3 is more than an evolu-
tionary styling makeover.
The exterior shows clear
lineage with prior A3s, but theP
ermanently roofless
coupes for the ultra-
wealthy are in right now,
and Bentley wants a piece of
the action. Meet the Bacalar,
produced by in-house coach-
builder Mulliner.
If you guessed it began life
as the latest generation of
Continental GT Convertible,
you’d be correct. Mechanically,
it’s all about the same, save a
small bump in horsepower and
a smaller bump in torque— 650
of the former and 667 of the
latter should have no trouble
with the extra drag created by
expatriation of the roof.202 1 Bentley
Mulliner Bacalar
The rest of the bodywork is
clearly inspired by Bentley’s
100th birthday present to
itself, the EXP 100 GT coupe
concept from last year. The
only exterior parts shared with
your pedestrian Continental
GT Convertible are the door
handles, necessary because
they’re fitted with the keyless
entry hardware. Otherwise,
it’s all custom aluminum and
carbon fiber. Ditching the soft
top made space for a pair of
specially made Schedoni bags
behind the seats.
Naturally, the interior’s been
buffed up, as well. Subtle trimelements running from the
doors to the center console
wrap around the occupants.
Far more exclusivity is found
in the wood trim, made frominterior shows its relationship
to the greater Audi family.
There aren’t quite as many
screens as in the bigger, more
expensive models, but every
A3 gets a standard 10.1-inch
infotainment touchscreen and2021 Audi A 3 Sportback
a standard all-digital instru-
ment cluster. Pay a little more,
and the instrument cluster
screen grows to 12.3 inches.
If that still isn’t enough, a
head-up display is optional,
too. All of it is arranged inAudi’s latest angular interior
design scheme.
Audi hadn’t shared U.S. spec-
ifications at press time, but we
have to think the A3 will retain
its familiar 2.0-liter turbo-
charged four-cylinder engine. A
less powerful front-drive model
and a more powerful Quattro
all-wheel-drive model are
likely, with high-performance
S3 and RS 3 models to follow in
the future. We also expect an
E-Tron-badged hybrid model at
some point.
Don’t get too attached to the
hatchback pictured, though.
The U.S. version will likely be
in sedan form to better appeal
to our market when it finally
arrives next year.5,000-year-old naturally fallen
trees that had been preserved
in peat bogs, lakes, and rivers
in the Fenlands of eastern
England.
The Bacalar, of course, does
not come cheap. If Bentley
doesn’t have $1.9 million of
your generational wealth
already, you won’t be getting
one of the 12 examples to be
built unless it’s secondhand.JUNE 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 15