Photo: Emre Husmen via Instagram
The Bentley Bentayga was arguably the first ultra-luxury SUV out there, the kind that makes the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class look rather rudimentary.
In the meantime, Rolls-Royce has also joined the fray with its Cullinan while Mercedes-Maybach has upped the ante in terms of luxury compared to the manufacturer's standard range. That means everyone looking for an automotive representation of their bank account with a slightly lifted suspension has several options to choose from now.
That's great news for the one percent, but not so much for Bentley. We don't imagine there are any Bentaygas sitting in dealerships with big signs in their windows that say "discount" as they wait for customers, so the competition hasn't necessarily dented the model's sales. Still, it did manage to make the Bentayga seem less... opulent.
Take the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, for example. If some people thought the Bentley design would have trouble translating into the SUV segment, they had no idea how difficult Rolls-Royce would have it. But that's not a bad thing. Owning a Cullinan essentially says, "I'm so rich I don't even care about looking good anymore," and that means extremely filthy rich.
When it was launched, a lot was said about the Bentayga's $160,000 optional dashboard clock, but other than that, the SUV is pretty conventional. It also looks reasonably well - or, at least, a lot less awkward than the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, arguably its main competitor.
Well, Bentley shouldn't have to settle for second place, not when it could come up with something like this EXP8 SUV created by Emre Husmen. It's bigger, brasher, probably more powerful, and certainly a lot more "in your face" than the Bentayga - in other words, considering the segment we're in, simply better.
The front end has the kind of verticality you get with the Cullinan, but with a few curves to make it all look sleeker and more modern. The rounded headlights are replaced by a DRL LED ring, with the main and high beam housed in a narrow headlight design.
The huge grille and tall hood leave no doubt about what's hiding back there. It's the 8.0-liter W16 quad-turbo engine in the Bugatti Chiron, except here it's slightly detuned compared to the hypercar's 1,600 PS (1,578 hp). The EXP8 would probably also be available with a hybrid system, but one that uses the 4.0-liter V8 instead of the 3.0-liter V6 in the Bentayga Hybrid.
The exterior design of the hyper-SUV seems to be slightly influenced by the Bentley Continental GT Number 9 special edition, as the two share the British Racing Green color (though a lot of other models from other brands do that too) as well as the number in their name - eight, in this case - painted onto the radiator grille's mesh.
Expect the interior to feature the same level of exquisite quality we've come to take for granted from all Bentley products, with the same mixture of modern design and classic materials and craftmanship. The author didn't expand its project inside the cabin as well, though.
Recession, pandemic, end of the world - it wouldn't matter. The Bentley EXP8 should have no problem finding buyers regardless of whether we're talking east or west. The top dog luxury SUV will never lack clients, and that's exactly what the EXP8 would become in the unlikely situation Bentley decided to make something like this.
That's great news for the one percent, but not so much for Bentley. We don't imagine there are any Bentaygas sitting in dealerships with big signs in their windows that say "discount" as they wait for customers, so the competition hasn't necessarily dented the model's sales. Still, it did manage to make the Bentayga seem less... opulent.
Take the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, for example. If some people thought the Bentley design would have trouble translating into the SUV segment, they had no idea how difficult Rolls-Royce would have it. But that's not a bad thing. Owning a Cullinan essentially says, "I'm so rich I don't even care about looking good anymore," and that means extremely filthy rich.
When it was launched, a lot was said about the Bentayga's $160,000 optional dashboard clock, but other than that, the SUV is pretty conventional. It also looks reasonably well - or, at least, a lot less awkward than the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, arguably its main competitor.
Well, Bentley shouldn't have to settle for second place, not when it could come up with something like this EXP8 SUV created by Emre Husmen. It's bigger, brasher, probably more powerful, and certainly a lot more "in your face" than the Bentayga - in other words, considering the segment we're in, simply better.
The front end has the kind of verticality you get with the Cullinan, but with a few curves to make it all look sleeker and more modern. The rounded headlights are replaced by a DRL LED ring, with the main and high beam housed in a narrow headlight design.
The huge grille and tall hood leave no doubt about what's hiding back there. It's the 8.0-liter W16 quad-turbo engine in the Bugatti Chiron, except here it's slightly detuned compared to the hypercar's 1,600 PS (1,578 hp). The EXP8 would probably also be available with a hybrid system, but one that uses the 4.0-liter V8 instead of the 3.0-liter V6 in the Bentayga Hybrid.
The exterior design of the hyper-SUV seems to be slightly influenced by the Bentley Continental GT Number 9 special edition, as the two share the British Racing Green color (though a lot of other models from other brands do that too) as well as the number in their name - eight, in this case - painted onto the radiator grille's mesh.
Expect the interior to feature the same level of exquisite quality we've come to take for granted from all Bentley products, with the same mixture of modern design and classic materials and craftmanship. The author didn't expand its project inside the cabin as well, though.
Recession, pandemic, end of the world - it wouldn't matter. The Bentley EXP8 should have no problem finding buyers regardless of whether we're talking east or west. The top dog luxury SUV will never lack clients, and that's exactly what the EXP8 would become in the unlikely situation Bentley decided to make something like this.
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