The Bentley Motor Company make cars inspired by British heritage, much like the original Speed Six from nearly one hundred years ago. This is a brand that is the epitome of the word ‘prestige’. With the exception perhaps of Rolls Royce, no other car maker has come close to making the daily act of driving into an astral experience.
Times however, as you may have noticed, have moved on and Bentley have themselves moved with the times so that their current crop of premium cars are second to none in quality and technological advancement. MHH International are delighted to export new and used Bentley cars from the UK to global destinations including New Zealand and Kenya. You can see the current stock of fine examples on this page. MHH International offer a wide range of vehicles from prestige cars makers, including Rolls Royce (here).
Bentley have realised that our automotive future is going to be very different. That’s why their in-house design team are looking at the next generation and a strong contender for the shape of things to come is the EXP 15 seen in our images. It’s a luxury vision concept that represents Bentley’s design vision for the future, by taking inspiration from its early 20th century Grand Tourer heritage and interpreting it in a thoroughly modern 21st century way; this is what we can expect to see down the road:
The Remarkable Exterior
Accordingly, the five-metre-plus full-size physical exterior model is a design exercise that provides hints to the design of future Bentleys, including the brand’s first fully electric car, due soon. The EXP 15 concept embodies the five exterior design principles for Bentley that will influence its future production cars. The first principle is ‘Upright Elegance’ and expresses the idea that all the fronts of Bentley cars – in silhouette – should display a very gently curved almost vertical line.
Looking directly at the car from ‘front-on’, the second key exterior design principle is the ‘Iconic Grille’ which despite the changes to electrified power-trains, is important to the brand’s historic visual architecture especially with a vertical line at its centre. Grilles aren’t strictly necessary for electric vehicles (EV), but this, after all, is a Bentley, so the grille stays where it should be.
The third exterior design principle is the ‘Endless Bonnet Line’ reflecting the heritage and back catalogue where a large combustion engine needed to be accommodated underneath. This line continues unbroken under the side windows and right back to the rear pillar of the car in a similar way to the historic 1930 Bentley coupé. With future power sources turning electric and less space needed for them, spare space under the EXP 15’s bonnet is repurposed into elegant storage solutions, accessed via twin ‘piano-lid-style’ panels which again reference the coupé.
All the finest Bentleys feature rear haunches that bulge outward from the body of the car above the rear wheels, expressing their ‘muscle’ and potent energy, but a Bentley’s overall stance also needs to be relaxed and horizontal, not aggressively leaning forward. That’s principle four and the fifth and final key exterior design principle is dubbed ‘Prestigious Shield’ and on EXP 15 relates to the large and clean surface at the rear of the concept, which on heritage Bentleys were luggage sections separate to the body but which on EXP 15 is part of the tailgate, upon which the new winged Bentley emblem proudly sits, framed by diamond-patterned rear lights.
Although a dramatic design concept first and foremost, EXP 15’s creators have of course considered the power-train that will enable 21st century Grand Tours with sustainable ease and effortless performance. To that end, EXP 15 is conceived as having a fully-electric, all-wheel drive power source, conceivably with three motors, with a long range and recharging speeds commensurate with the convenience customers have come to expect of a Bentley.
The Luxury Interior
The designers of the futuristic cabin of EXP 15 also gained influence from the inside of the 1930 Speed Six. In seating number and function, if not layout and form. In keeping with that spirit, the EXP 15 also offers a three-seat layout. One door on the driver’s side opens to the driver’s seat plus a cocooning rear seat behind, while twin coach doors and part of the panoramic roof open upwards on the passenger side to allow smoother entry and exit via a more luxurious and flexible passenger-side seat that can swivel 45 degrees outwards. We can expect four or five seat options too.
That front passenger seat can also be moved to different positions according to customer mood or need: upfront alongside the driver in ‘Co-pilot’ mode, slid back to the rear-seat in ‘Standard’ setting or reclined for ‘Relax’ mode. In the latter two configurations massive legroom is created and the concept’s ‘Concertina Floor Storage’ system allows footwell footrests to fold downward into the floor to create a shallow space for, say, a pet or personal hand luggage to be strapped in – and crucially both accessible without needing to stop and open the boot (trunk).
Even the boot holds more potential function than as mere luggage carrier. Open the large rear hatch and two small seats can deploy, which can slide back from the rear seats, to truly make luxury tailgate parties a pleasurable and practical reality, thanks to options like a refrigerator. A day at the races, anybody?
It goes without saying that the materials, the fit and finish and the very latest in technology all come as standard in future Bentley motor cars. The evidence of just how refined these cars are can be found in the current models like the astonishing Bentley Continental in various coupé and convertible guises, powered by a roaring four-litre engine. Get in touch with MHH International to find out more.
