Bentley turns Mulliner into a fashion house: first Bespoke Series limited to 100 Continental GT and GTC models
Bentley Mulliner is launching a new annual format for special series that feels closer to a seasonal haute couture collection than a conventional option pack. The first Bespoke Series 2027 is limited to 100 numbered cars and is based on the Continental GT S coupé and the Continental GTC S convertible. Special colours, a hand-painted centre stripe and interior details turn the hybrid GT into a collector’s piece.
Mulliner sells seasons, not just colours
According to Bentley’s official model page, the Bespoke Series 2027 marks the beginning of a new Mulliner tradition. This is not simply another limited-edition badge, but deliberately managed scarcity. Each year, Mulliner intends to create a curated small series built around a theme of colour, materials and craftsmanship. For the launch, Bentley is limiting production to 100 numbered cars.
It is a clever business move. In its commentary on 2024 results, Bentley said 70 percent of customers chose Mulliner content. In other words, the brand no longer defines luxury only through more power or more expensive leather. It is turning personalisation itself into the product.
Six colours and a hand-painted signature
The exterior of the Bespoke Series is all about colour. Bentley offers six paint finishes: Salerno Blue, Bright Ruby Pearlescent, Midnight Prism Pearlescent, Manuka Orange, Spectral Verdant and Snow Quartz. Five of them are completely new, with some using pearlescent or colour-shifting finishes to emphasise the sculpted surfaces of the Continental GT S.
The clearest identifying detail runs the full length of the car. Mulliner hand-paints a centre stripe from the boot lid to the bonnet. Inside, Bentley repeats the exterior colour on high-gloss veneers and accent parts, adds black anodised treadplates carrying the individual car’s series number, and uses a specially developed perforation pattern. This is not a loud sporting treatment. It is Bentley detail work in its purest form: costly up close, restrained from a distance.
The hardware comes from the sharper Continental GT S
The special series is not based on the regular Continental GT, but on the sportier GT S. Its plug-in hybrid powertrain combines a 4.0-litre V8 with an electric motor and produces a system output of 500 kW and 930 Nm. The coupé accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds and reaches 308 km/h. The convertible achieves the same sprint in 3.7 seconds. Battery capacity is 25.9 kWh, and Bentley quotes up to 80 km of electric range.
Compared with the previous-generation Continental GT S, the new hybrid gains around 96 kW and 160 Nm. Bentley also says the new S surpasses the former W12 Speed in power, torque and performance. That matters because the disappearance of the W12 from the top of the GT range has not left a gap. The hybrid V8 has closed it with more force, and more quietly.
The chassis has to make 2.45 tonnes feel alive
The Continental GT S is not a light car. The coupé’s kerb weight is around 2,450 kg, so the body and chassis have to do more than simply deliver comfort. The Bentley Performance Active Chassis includes active all-wheel drive, adaptive twin-valve dampers, active 48-volt anti-roll control, an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, torque vectoring and rear-wheel steering.
That is crucial for Bentley. A 500 kW output is no longer shocking on paper, at least not when a Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E Performance offers 600 kW, 1,420 Nm and a 2.9-second sprint from 0 to 100 km/h. The Aston Martin DB12 sits in the same luxury-GT segment with 500 kW, 800 Nm, a 3.6-second sprint and a top speed of 325 km/h. Bentley’s answer is not pure circuit performance, but a mix of all-wheel-drive traction, electric driving in the city and hand-built scarcity.
In Europe, the hybrid matters more than the stripe
In Europe, the appeal of the Bespoke Series is mainly in the timing. Luxury-GT buyers still want the sound of a V8 and the potential for 300 km/h, but urban restrictions, tax structures and company-car rules increasingly favour plug-in hybrids. Bentley is still waiting for type-approval values for consumption and CO₂ in the EU27 area, but an electric mode with 80 km of range gives the Continental GT S a practical advantage where a pure petrol model is becoming an increasingly difficult choice.
Compared with global rivals, Bentley is selling two things at once. On one level, the customer gets a technically credible hybrid GT. On the other, they get a car the configurator will not repeat next season. Mulliner is not merely adding something to luxury. The division is creating scarcity, and that could prove as important on the used-car market as the acceleration figure.
