Mulliner and Boodles - create a Jewel of a Bentley

2024-04-08

Mulliner and Boodles unveil co-created one-of-one Continental GTC. Elegant Porpoise Grey and Linen colour palette with subtle contrast of Boodles signature Powder Pink. “Be Boodles Bentley” Pendant, diamond-set and crafted in 18ct white gold, inlayed to the centre console. One-off ‘Be Boodles’ blind stitch embroidery on Linen upholstery took 278,566 stitches and six hours to complete. Dual-finish veneer in Piano Linen and 200-million-year-old Autumn Stone veneer, just one-tenth of a millimetre thick. Gold air vent organ stops invoke Boodles’ 226-year goldsmith heritage. Boodles exterior sill plate and exterior badging on fender. Both Mulliner and Boodles trace their roots back to 18th century Boodles Commission Continental GTC to be shown on the 11th April at Jack Barclays in London.

Two of the oldest names in British craftsmanship, Boodles and Mulliner, have collaborated to create a one-of-one Bentley Continental GTC. The result is a unique showcase of craftsmanship and design, based around a restrained colour spectrum from Anthracite to Linen with Boodles’ signature Powder Pink providing the subtlest of contrasts. Inside, accents of 24ct gold, natural stone veneer and painstaking ‘Be Boodles’ blind stitch embroidery are among the highlights of this jewel among Bentleys.

The collaboration between Mulliner - Bentley’s in-house coachbuilding and bespoke division - and Boodles, the 2023 Walpole Awards ‘British Luxury Brand of the Year’, began in May 2023 when a creative team from the celebrated jewellers visited the Mulliner workshops. Together with Mulliner’s designers, they devised a specification featuring an understated colour palette, rare materials, and intricate craft details. The team felt such a stunning interior deserved to be viewed in sunlight, making Bentley’s Continental GTC a natural choice for their one-of-one creation. The Boodles Continental GTC is a unique bespoke commission and will be shown on 11th April at Jack Barclays in London.

Understated elegance

The exterior of the Boodles Commission Continental GTC uses a timeless and elegant colour palette, with the Anthracite exterior finish and light grey fabric roof accentuating the lean and muscular lines of Bentley’s open grand tourer. Mulliner 22” wheels are painted in Tungsten with a polished finish, with brake calipers in gloss black. But there are hints of the delights within, in the form of a pinstripe in Boodles’ signature Powder Pink that traces a line around the edge of the Styling Specification front spoiler, sills and rear spoiler. A ‘Boodles 1798’ exterior badge in grey with chrome text appears on the front fender, just ahead of the door on either side. Upon opening the doors, the ground-illuminating welcome lamp projects the Boodles logo.

Inside the ‘jewel box’

Opening the lid of a Boodles jewel box is a moment of delight and revelation, and the co-creators of the Boodles Continental GTC aimed to provoke the same sense of wonder for those entering the Bentley’s cockpit. As with the exterior, the colour spectrum is modern, with Linen upholstery as the main hide colour, complemented by pale grey Porpoise secondary hide on seat backs, fascia top roll, gear lever and steering wheel. Boodles’ Powder Pink appears as an accent hide colour on the steering wheel tab, inner door pockets and console side pocket lowers. Powder Pink is used for the seat piping as well as the hand cross-stitching that traces the outline of seats, fascia, console, and waist rails. Door panels and upper seat backs feature a blind stitch repeat pattern of the interlocking ‘Be Boodles’ motif, which alone required 278,566 stitches and six hours of painstaking work. Much like the car, the ‘Be Boodles Bentley’ pendant, set into the centre console, has been handcrafted as a complete one-off piece. It features a mirrored pair of diamond-set ‘B’ emblems, imitating the curving lines of antique lace, created in 18ct Single Mine Origin white gold. Finally, a pair of loose cushions in Linen hide are embroidered in Porpoise with ‘Boodles 1798’ and edged with Powder Pink piping.

Precious materials

The interior abounds with bespoke details. Fascia and door waist rails feature dual-finish Piano Linen and Autumn Stone veneers, bisected by a painted pinstripe in Powder Pink. Advanced laser-cutting techniques enable Mulliner to create panels of veneer just one-tenth of a millimetre thick from natural stone formed over 200 million years ago.

Dials, bezels, air vents and controls are framed in Mulliner’s Knurling Specification, giving them a jewel-like finish that catches the light on multiple facets. The central vanes of the air vents are painted in powder pink, allowing them to align perfectly with the fascia pinstripe, while the ‘organ stop’ controls for the air vents are plated in 24ct gold. A ‘Boodles 1798’ overlay in chrome on Piano Linen appears on the lower fascia veneer and both door waist rails. The award-winning Bentley Rotating Display includes a central dial with the Boodles jewellery motif, while other bespoke touches include Boodles illuminated door sills and ‘one of one’ engraved treadplates.

A unique collaboration

Mulliner and Boodles can each lay claim to centuries at the highest levels of design and craftsmanship. Mulliner, now the bespoke commissioning division of Bentley Motors, can trace its origins to a Northampton coachbuilding firm in 1760 that was commissioned to create coaches for the Royal Mail. Boodles, meanwhile, was established in 1798 in the prosperous trading city of Liverpool and has become synonymous with jewellery of exceptional quality; its ‘Raindance’ ring was chosen for the V&A Museum’s permanent exhibition as an icon of British jewellery design.

The Boodles Bentley Continental GTC is the fruit of their collaboration, a true one-of-one creation. It will be offered for sale from the 11th of April onwards.