Bentley shows new 'Ombre by Mulliner' paintwork
Extravagant new colour fade takes 60 hours to perfect, costs £50,000...
We all know that customisation is big business when it comes to luxury cars. Being able to add that final personal touch (or an array of personal details) is as important to some customers, if not more so, than what’s lurking under the bonnet - or what the car is actually like to drive. So the manufacturers pull out all the stops to make anything possible when it comes to special details. People are willing to spend to make something unique.
Paint is often a good way to personalise, and now Bentley has launched its most exclusive, most labour-intensive finish yet: this is Ombré by Mulliner, an ‘extraordinary new finish [that] combines two complementary paint colours that transition along the sides and roof of the car.’ You can say that again. The entire thing is done by hand, which would be no small feat in one colour given the sheer size of any Bentley; make it two, make them blend into each other perfectly, and you’re talking 60 hours for two paint artisans to complete at Crewe. And a unique finish, too, though it’s going to look perfect to the naked eye. It’s suggested that this is the first four-door saloon to show off this kind of paint finish, following an Ombré by Mulliner Continental GT at Monterey.
This Flying Spur, to be exhibited at the Southampton Boat Show next weekend, blends from Topaz Blue into Windsor Blue and transitions around the middle of the car. That process is done in stages, understandably, with the Ombré effect - that’s the blending of the paints, if you also didn’t know - achieved through using traditional tinting methods. Care has to be taken on the colour choices, though, to ensure another colour doesn’t crop up in the fade - so don’t expect any blue into yellow Bentaygas, for example, for fear of creating a green bit.
However, if blue doesn’t suit, then the Ombré option will launch with Sunburst Gold to Orange Flame and Tungsten to Onyx also offered. Bentley says that additional colourways are coming, presumably predicting strong demand. Easy to understand - it does look very snazzy. As well it might, for £48,000…
hed along on the Boring Colours thread I can’t really complain about this.
I may be quite wrong, but it feels like it wouldn't be that hard to program a more mass-market robotic paintshop to achieve a similar effect, without it costing any significant extra premium. That is, if there would actually be a market for such paint jobs beyond 'look what I've got'.
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