Bentley’s ultimate grand tourer, the coachbuilt Batur by Mulliner, has completed its whole vehicle development programme, ensuring that it meets the highest standards of performance and durability. Work now commences on the build of customer cars, each of which will feature an exceptional level of bespoke craftsmanship and take around four months to handcraft – with the last one to be completed at the end of 2024.
Following on from the creation of two development vehicles (known as Car Zero and Car Zero-Zero), just 18 Batur customer cars will be produced by hand in the Mulliner workshops. However, no concession has been made in Bentley’s rigorous testing regime, which includes durability tests on handling tracks, real-world road conditions, high speed testing beyond 200 mph, and rough surfaces. Other tests included 600 hours of solar loading, equivalent to five years in an Arizona desert, to ensure that the sustainable materials used in the Batur’s construction will be robust enough to endure a lifetime’s use.
Car Zero is no ordinary development mule. It was built to the same levels of craftsmanship as each of the 18 customer cars to come. Its bespoke exterior finish, Purple Sector, is complemented by front splitters, side skirts and rear diffuser in a high gloss natural fibre finish. The main matrix grille in Gloss Dark Titanium is accented with contrast chevrons in a horizontal ombré pattern that flows from Purple Sector in the centre, gradually darkening to Black Crystal at the periphery. The ‘endless bonnet’ line is finished in Satin Titanium, as are the 22” wheels which feature spokes in Gloss and Satin Black Crystal.
