Remember the stately convertible Bentley teased at the 2012 Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach in California? Some of us, this writer included, were allowed a glimpse of the Mulsanne-based open-top cruiser, which was slated for low-volume production and could have revived the Azure nameplate. It was a favorite project of then-CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer, who departed Bentley shortly thereafter to become head of Audi’s R&D.
--
But alas, instead of readying the big convertible for production, Dürheimer’s successor Wolfgang Schreiber shelved the project—and confessed the deed to us at the Frankfurt auto show one year later.
-Schreiber is now gone, Dürheimer is back at the helm at Bentley and Bugatti. And while it’s too late to reverse Schreiber’s decision and go for a full series-production run, Dürheimer tells us that he’s currently studying the possibility of having the Mulliner division built a small number of Mulsanne-based convertibles.
-“Such a model would be built in [a batch of] 20 units and sold to absolute connoisseurs at a very high price,” says the CEO. It could come to market within two years and would probably cost somewhere around 1 million pounds—close to $1.5 million.
--
- -
- Whitewall Wonders: Rolls-Royce Phantom Zenith Coupe, Convertible Detailed
- -
- 2017 Bentley Mulsanne First Edition Boasts 350-Year-Old Walnut Trim
- -
- Bentley Mulsanne News, Specs, Reviews, and More
- -
-
As Rolls-Royce is about to end production for its Phantom Drophead Coupe, a Mulsanne-based convertible would be a solitary offering indeed. Go ahead and bring it on, we say. And we’re pretty sure Bentley could sell far more than the 20 units envisioned.
-
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/1WfjpvO
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire