- Last week, Bentley revealed the Bacalar – its new, limited-production, open-top grand tourer with 650 horsepower.
- The car has a barchetta shape, making it essentially a convertible with no option for a roof.
- It’s also built from some sustainable materials, including wool and rare, 5,000-year-old wood.
- The British manufacturer will only build 12 Bacalars, and they’re already sold out at a reported price of $2 million.
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The Geneva International Motor Show might have been canceled amid coronavirus concerns, but that didn’t stop manufacturers from revealing their newest creations last week – ultra-luxury British carmaker Bentley included.
Bentley unveiled a limited-run grand tourer meant to debut at Geneva, the Bacalar, at its headquarters in Crewe, England last Tuesday. The car comes outfitted with a massively powerful 12-cylinder engine and features not found on other Bentleys, all for a reported price of about $2 million.
It also takes on the barchetta body style – a convertible without a top to put up and down, basically. That means while the Bacalar is built for high price points, it’s not quite built for inclement weather.
In terms of special features, the Bacalar’s dashboard is made from Riverwood – a rare wood that’s been preserved in bogs, lakes, and rivers for 5,000 years – and each seat features a quilted pattern that requires close to 150,000 stitches.
Each Bacalar will be hand built according to specifications from its buyer. And as for buyers, there will only be 12 of them, since Bentley is capping production of the Bacalar at 12 cars.
Scroll down to learn more about the car Bentley is calling "the rarest two-door Bentley of the modern era."
Last week, Bentley unveiled the Bacalar — an ultra-exclusive, hand-built two-seater that was supposed to debut at the Geneva International Motor Show before the event was canceled due to coronavirus concerns.
The Bacalar comes from Mulliner, the company's coach-building arm that creates custom and limited-run Bentleys. It has a barchetta design, meaning it's an open-top sports car with no removable roof.
According to Bentley, Mulliner traces its history back to the 1500s, when it customized horse-drawn carriages.
Bentley calls the Bacalar the "most exclusive and bespoke Bentley of the modern era," and only 12 will be produced.
Each Bacalar will be hand built at Bentley's workshop in Crewe with direct input from the customer, but some features come standard.
The Bacalar's power comes from Bentley's 6.0-liter, twin-turbocharged W12 engine, like in some versions of the Continental GT and Bentayga SUV.
The super-rare grand tourer's 12-cylinder engine cranks out 650 horsepower and 667 pound-feet of torque, according to Bentley.
An active all-wheel-drive system enables the Bacalar to be rear-wheel drive as much as possible, varying the power sent to the front and rear wheels when needed.
Bentley says the Bacalar doesn't share any exterior components with any of its other models, except for the door handle.
It also features carbon-fiber doors and some 3D-printed components.
On the inside, the grand tourer makes use of sustainable materials like British wool and "5,000-year-old Riverwood sourced from the ancient Fenlands of East Anglia," which clads the dashboard.
Each leather-and-wool seat features a quilted pattern that requires 148,199 stitches.
And the Bacalar's interior is also home to two semi-enclosed luggage "pods" behind the seats, which are specifically designed to hold two pieces of luggage from Italian manufacturer Schedoni.
The dash features Bentley's signature rotating display, which can show a touchscreen or a set of three analogue dials — a compass, an outside temperature display, and a chronometer.
Each Bacalar also comes with a unique clock and an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel.
Another environmentally conscious touch is that the Bacalar's paint gets its metallic finish from rice-husk ash, Bentley says.
It sits on 22-inch wheels ...
... and is outfitted with headlights and taillights not found on other Bentleys.
Bentley didn't mention pricing in its announcement, but it's reported to be around $2 million. But that number doesn't matter too much — you can't get your hands on one anyway, since all 12 have already been bought.
Source: CNN