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All Bentleys built in 2019 will be finished in what is to be known as Centenary Specification, marking 100 years of the company since W.O. Bentley started it up in 1919.
The vehicles will include Centenary Gold front and rear badging, that will match the wheel centre badges and treadplates with a '1919-2019' motif. The steering wheel badge, key fob and gear selector all feature the same design.
Each Bentley will have a special Centenary welcome light and even the seat embroidery is bespoke to the 2019 cars, with Centenary Gold headrest logos and Centenary Gold Contrast Stitch or Cross Stitch available on these special models.
Centenary Gold, by the way, is a colour inspired by the metalwork found on vintage Bentleys, like the EXP2 of 1919 and the 'Birkin' Blower of 1929. The finish is said to honour 'the company's rich heritage and racing triumphs while interpreting for the modern day with an elegant warm tone and a deep fluid shadow', and it will be used in Bentley's Centenary logo and all the celebration events the company is planning for 2019.
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Born in 1888, founder Walter Owen 'W.O.' Bentley grew up as an engineer, spending some time with the Great Northern Railway in the UK before turning his attention to road-going machines in 1910. He founded Bentley in 1919 and by September 1921, the first production model was delivered to Noel van Raalte, at a cost of £1,050 (about €54,400, inflation adjusted0 - and it already had the marque's distinctive radiator casing and 'Flying B' insignia. Bentley models throughout the 1920s became hugely desirable and famous cars, with motorsport success - at Brooklands, Indianapolis and the Isle of Man, as well as the Bentley Boys of Le Mans - cementing the brand's reputation.
A film looking back at Bentley's past can be viewed at www.BentleyMotors.com/100Years, and July 10th, 2019, will be a day of celebration for the first 100 years in the company's history.