The Continental line-up is doing just fine these days, but what Bentley really seems to be focused on is the flagship Mulsanne. After Crewe gave us the Mulsanne Speed torque monster at the Paris Motor Show earlier this fall, the Brits are using the Los Angeles Auto Show to offer us yet another incarnation of the lavish sedan.
Did we say “sedan”? We actually meant droptop, as the automaker brought the Bentley Grand Convertible to the event. Even though the car looks as production-ready as possible, it hasn’t received the green light yet.
Bentley is waiting for the market response in order to see if the open-air version of the Mulsanne flagship ever makes into the real world.
“We are eagerly awaiting the response of our customers to this car. We will ensure that this car - if it reaches the roads - will be a highly exclusive, extremely limited collector’s piece.” CEO Wolfgang Durheimer said.
Bentley Grand Convertible can be viewed as a personal ambition of the CEO
The project is some sort of a personal ambition for Durheimer. It all started back in 2012, when Bentley brought the Mulsanne Convertible study at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance three years after the event had hosted the launch of the flagship.
Subsequently, Durheimer was transferred to Audi and the man who replaced him, Wolfgang Schreiber, decided to put the project on an indefinite hold. The reason? He said the demand was extremely limited.
Durheimer is now back at the helm of Bentley and Bugatti and the man wants to see the open air-injected Mulsanne released. No expense has been spared to build the Bentley Grand Convertible - for instance, the tonneau was made from the largest piece of wood veneer ever to have been crafted by Crewe’s specialists.
The existence of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe should be enough proof that there are enough wealthy people who want their luxurious motoring experience to include an open sky. Nonetheless, until Bentley makes up its mind, you can check out the live video below, which comes from car spotted Shmee150, as well as a few live photos. Your feedback is welcome, gentlemen.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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