Bentley Mulsanne Key Celebrates Its Centenary

Bentley's custom coachbuilding division, Mulliner, has designed a unique keycase to celebrate the brand's centenary. Made from Dark Stained Walnut and Piano Black veneer, it includes a flying 'B' paperweight, a set of keys as well as a brochure with never-before-seen 1930 8 Litre imagery.

It's the perfect present to welcome a new owner to their lavish vehicle.

Aesthetics

As a design-driven company, Bentley takes its aesthetics seriously. It shows in the precision location of its quilting the choice of leather sourced from by-products of cattle, the wood from sustainable forests and the unique patterns on its levers. A car like the Continental GT W12 beckons as you approach it and showcases its stunning sculptural design and power through carefully planned lighting.

The Continental GT is the most sophisticated open-top Bentley ever built. Its rear tonneau, for example, showcased the largest piece of dark-stained, book-matched Burr Walnut veneer ever applied to an actual production Bentley. Similarly, the electrically-operated glass sunroof and champagne cooler that incorporated hand-blown and hand-cut lead crystal bottles marked a new benchmark in luxury and innovation.

It is this unique design, attention to detail and craftsmanship to detail that have established Bentley as the most sought-after automotive brand. The company is constantly pushing the boundaries with the latest technologies and hand-crafted products. This includes the introduction of an electronic tilt-opening rear sunroof and a crafted Apple iPad docking station.

A century since its founding, Bentley - now under sole Volkswagen ownership after years of fighting with BMW and BMW - celebrated its centennial in 2019. Prior to the pandemic plan taking place, the marque had a number of special events and launches planned to celebrate the occasion.

Design

Bentley is known for its extravagant and lavish cars and even keys are made to stand out. The Bentayga key is made of sterling silver. It features a large 'B' logo that tells everyone you drive a Bentley. The key is also inscribed with the dates 1919 and 2019, to commemorate the company's centennial.

Bentley Mulliner redesigned and developed the Mulsanne to be the ultimate Grand Touring vehicle. The rear seats are designed to provide passengers with unparalleled comfort and privacy. They were inspired by the luxury private aircraft. A custom heating, ventilation and air conditioning system has been developed to ensure each passenger has the ideal climate control setting.

Alongside a range of elegantly executed styling revisions and a host of elegantly executed styling changes, the Mulsanne is powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre W12 engine that produces 560bhp as well as 479lbft of torque. This incredible power is complemented by a new suspension system which provides Bentley's renowned smooth ride.

Bentley has released a special specification for cars manufactured after 2019 to celebrate its centenary. This is referred to as the Centenary Specification. The cabin has cross-stitching, and contrast stitching in Centenary Gold throughout. The Bentley Wings are embroidered with Centenary Gold on the headrests, seats and other areas of the car. This enhances the celebration. The Centenary Specification also includes a personalized replacement bentley key keycase, which completes the Bentley experience.

Function

The Bentley Mulsanne Key has two buttons that open the trunk, and the second that is used to start the vehicle. The key also has a switch for turning on the parking brake. The knob can be used to fold or unfold the mirrors while parking in a tight spot. This feature can assist you in getting into and out of your car more quickly.

The key is made of vegetable tanned leather. It takes two days to create each one. It is hand cut to shape, sewn sealed and polished to create a high-quality finish. It is durable, compact, and fits the Bentley key perfectly. Its design is akin to the Volkswagen Phaeton large car's key however, it feels heavier and has a luxurious feel.

Secure-A-Key is also included to prevent keyless entry theft. The device is placed inside the remote-control key fob and is turned off after a few minutes of inactivity. This prevents thieves from transmitting the frequency of the key to other devices which can unlock and start the vehicle.

Bentley's distinctive style reflects the company's values of excellence in craftsmanship and engineering expertise as well as modern technology. Over 4,000 employees are employed at the Crewe headquarters, and are responsible for the development, design and production of Bentley automobiles. These workers apply the skills that have been passed through generations to modern automotive technologies. This is the hallmark of British manufacturing at its finest.

Personalisation

Bentley's Mulliner division allows customers to design their own vehicle. The "mood station" allows guests to select images that inspire them. These could range from beautiful landscapes to sporting events. Each time a selection is made, a pattern appears that reveals the design and color preferences for the personalized Bentley.

The configuration that is created is then loaded onto individual R.F.I.D.-enabled key cards, which are presented to the guests in a custom key case. The keys can also be outfitted with Bentley Muliner Personalised Welcome Lamps, which illuminate the door-opening path with the owner's name or logo when they approach the vehicle.

Bentley estimates that it requires 500 man-hours to construct and assemble a Mulsanne. A key to that time-consuming effort is a reluctance to embrace the latest technology. The Crewe factory workers don't utilize a machine for arranging perfectly matched cross stitched leather seats. Instead they do it by hand. And rather than using the car's built-in sensors to guide it into parallel and perpendicular parking spaces drivers must do it by hand.

Bentley showcased its Mulliner personalization abilities with a special Mulsanne W.O. Edition, that pays tribute to William Osler, the founder of Bentley. The Mulsanne W.O. Edition pays homage to the founder William Osler Bentley. The limited-edition cars come with the key with a special design that shows a portion of the 1930 8 Liter's crankshaft.