► Bentley’s design evolution continues
► We pore over Crewe’s major concepts
► How show cars affect future designs
It’s not often that Bentley Motors produces concept cars, so when it does they tend to generate significant buzz. And so as we adjust to the shock-and-awe tactics displayed by the new Bentley EXP 15 unveiled today, it’s a good time to look back at the earlier showstoppers designed in Crewe.
From SUV warm-up acts to Bugatti testbeds, from cheaper, smaller Bentleys to self-driving electrics, Bentley has a long history of building experimental prototypes – the formal term that birthed the more recent EXP moniker for these one-off concepts.
Join us on a quick gallop through some of the more significant Bentley concept cars from the past four decades, as we decode what their purpose was and their lasting import.
1994: Bentley Java
Making its debut in 1994, the Bentley Java was a fresh take on an elegant Bentley two-door. Still under Rolls-Royce ownership, the Java concept car painted a future where more affordable Bentleys could increase volume yet not decrease impact. In this regard, it paved the way for the strategic shift that begat the Continental GT – and was a handy ‘for sale sign’ to show what the company could do once it was spun off from the Rolls mothership (it was sold four years later). The Java’s style was heavily influenced by Rolls-Royce’s chief stylist Graham Hull. It didn’t make it to production, but the Sultan of Brunei liked it so much that he commissioned no fewer than 18 one-offs based on the Java to flesh out his own personal car collection.
1999: Bentley Hunaudières
Striking, finished in British Racing Green and sporting a huge 16.0-litre W16 engine which proved to be a testbed for the Bugatti Veyron hypercar that entered production six years later, the Hunaudières presaged a more outré and sporting vibe. It made its debut at that year’s Geneva motor show (where else?) and was named after a famous straight at Le Mans, neatly ushering in a new era of motorsport focus at Crewe, which went on to compete at La Sarthe a few years after this landmark concept, pictured above at VW’s Autostadt museum.
2012: Bentley EXP 9 F
Unveiled in 2012 to announce Crewe’s SUV intentions, the Bentley EXP 9 F was something of a shock. The ‘F’ stood for ‘falcon’ and there was duly a peregrine there on stage at the Palexpo halls in Geneva to land the point that this was a thoroughly luxurious, outdoorsy kinda Bentley. Apparently, falconry is regarded highly in certain Arabian countries… Manufacturers often use concepts to break in the public gently – and so the high-riding Bentayga followed soon after, introducing a new genre of luxurious, taller-riding ultra-SUV. Cue spiking sales and delighted customers in countries that insist on larger 4x4s.
2015: Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6
A new era of Continental GT was waiting in the wings, with the burden of success of its forerunners weighing heavily on product planners’ minds. Time then for another concept car – and at Geneva in 2015 we saw Bentley’s take on a two-seat sports car for the next decade+. The Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 coupe’s debut focused more on the design impact than engineering, with rich materials juxtaposing leather, steel and copper accents in the interior and rotating dials in the centre console. Its impact is still being felt in today’s Bentleys.
2019: Bentley EXP 100 GT
You can’t beat a centenary as an opportunity to launch a futuristic concept car. And so Crewe delivered a sneak peek to the future when it unveiled the Bentley EXP 100 GT in 2019 on the eve of its 100th birthday. Instead of a reminder of Bentley’s historic past, head exterior designer JP Gregory created a dramatic look ahead, featuring more autonomous driving modes, electric propulsion and the kind of futuristic ephemera designers imagined would be commonplace by 2035. Hence the EXP 100 GT’s 3D acrylic detailing, LED elements and striking glass-effect grille. A Bentley without a steering wheel? In a driverless future, apparently this can indeed be a thing…