See, Smell, Touch Bentley's First 3D Wood Inserts Inside Flying Spur Limousine

Five years ago, Bentley was envisioning a tight production schedule for a lot of its prototypes. In 2020, though, the plans have been mostly scrapped – and even some of its standard models bit the dust. We saw the large Mulsanne make way for the new generation Flying Spur as the company’s flagship limousine.

Some will be sorry the big sedan is gone, but this is the current reality – and emissions standards are inexorably pushing into retirement such vehicles. Well, at least the company is doing everything possible to keep customers interested – such as bringing back to life and into series production the interesting three-dimensional wood panels first seen inside the EXP 10 Speed 6.

The design, back then, was inspired by the shape of the diamond-quilted leather from the interior suite of “Bentley’s Mulliner Driving Specification.” The new option, on the other hand, is included in the Bentley Mulliner Collections and becomes an industry-first innovation available for the rear door quarter panels of the Flying Spur limousine.

According to the company, we are dealing with “a striking, diamond-shaped pattern enhanced with a three-dimensional surface finish machined directly into the wood.” And, of course, only the best timber is used – each panel is made from a single piece of American Walnut or American Cherry wood.

The 3D wood inserts have a different fabrication process compared to standard veneers – a single block is handcrafted by a skilled specialist using a multi-axis routing machine. The tolerance for the finished product is just 0.1mm, which is thinner than human hair and the end-product also comes with an open-pore glossy finish that does not interfere with the wood’s natural color and texture.