The Bentley Mulliner Bacalar is based on the Continental GT. But instead of having a hardtop or convertible roof, the Mulliner Bacalar is a proper speedster with no roof. And since it’s a speedster, it only has two seats.
But thankfully, you still get a windscreen unlike in a McLaren Elva. And even though the Mulliner Bacalar is riding on the underpinnings of the Continental GT, it happens to be the most exclusive bespoke Bentley ever made.
It’s brandishing a new design
The Bentley Mulliner Bacalar is brandishing a new face. Instead of having two pairs of round headlights like in the Conti GT, it now only has single headlights on each side. It still has the prominent Bentley front grille, but the mesh-covered air intakes are grabbing most of the attention.
In fact, a little bird told us that only the door handles were carried over from Conti GT. Besides that, all the body panels are new and signify the return to coachbuilding of Bentley Mulliner, which is indisputably the oldest coachbuilder in the world today.
Most of the body panels are crafted from premium carbon-fiber and aluminum. And since the Mulliner Bacalar is a speedster, the rear deck tapers inward in an elegant manner. Without a proper roof, the Mulliner Bacalar is around 220 pounds lighter than a conventional Continental GT even though both cars share the same wheelbase.
But still, the Mulliner Bacalar looks eerily familiar. Oh, that’s right. Bentley was referring to the magnificent EXP 100 GT concept car in designing the Mulliner Bacalar.
Good call, Bentley.
W12 power is standard
When you’re building the most exclusive grand touring speedster in the world, nothing less than a W12 engine will do. But instead of just shoehorning the Conti GT’s 6.0-liter turbocharged W12 engine and call it a day, Bentley engineers were kind enough to slightly tinker with the motor to squeeze out more power.
Whereas a Continental GT W12 is putting out 626-horsepower and 554 pound-feet of torque, the Mulliner Bacalar has no less than 650 horsepower under the hood. According to Bentley, the modest power increase is probably enough to make it the fastest open-topped Bentley ever made.
It’s ridiculously quick
With more power and a lighter body, the Bentley Mulliner Bacalar can reach 60 mph from a standstill in 3.5-seconds. Meanwhile, the top speed is quoted to go over 200 mph. All of this is made possible by the same mechanical wizardry that makes the Conti GT such a pleasure to drive.
This includes an eight-speed twin-clutch automatic transmission, standard all-wheel-drive for better handling, and a 48-volt electric anti-roll system to keep things neat and tidy at higher speeds.
The interior is to die for
True, the Bentley Mulliner Bacalar’s interior design is inspired by the posh layout in the Conti GT, but the wraparound cockpit design is exclusive to the Bacalar alone. The steeply-angled center console flows into the dashboard and sweeps elegantly to the door panels.
The lines continue towards the back where you’ll see a unique semi-enclosed luggage compartment behind the front seats. The car is sold with a matching set of Schedoni bags that are specifically designed to fit neatly in the rear deck.
But what really makes the cabin stand out are the materials. You can choose from the most exclusive and sustainably-sourced materials including natural British wool and petrified wood paneling from 5,000-year old trees in East Anglia. Even the paint was formulated using ash from rice husks to deliver a unique and sustainable metallic finish.
Of course, the customer can work directly with Mulliner to create a one-off bespoke cabin.
Only twelve units are destined for production
Bentley is only making twelve examples of the Mulliner Bacalar at a cool $1.9-million base price. If you factor in the bespoke customization options, the price can easily head to the stratosphere. With a seven-figure price tag, it truly is the most spectacular modern Bentley you will see on the road – if you can find one, that is.
You like what you’re seeing? Too bad. All twelve units of the Mulliner Bacalar are already sold out.
