Bentley Reinvents Paint: 56 Hours of Craftsmanship

At Monterey, Bentley unveiled yet another display of extravagance: “Ombre by Mulliner.” This hand-applied body finish shifts seamlessly from one shade to another, as if the car had glided through a photo filter. The debut canvas was the new Continental GT Speed, its nose finished in Topaz, its tail in Windsor Blue, with the bodywork in between melting gradually from one to the other.

The process demands roughly 56 hours of work from two master painters and is closer to color alchemy than a routine factory job. Each car is theoretically unique, though within limits, since not every hue can be blended convincingly. The palette is pre-approved by Mulliner’s curators.

Inside, the Bespoke Studio stretches the same gradient across the cabin: the front seats, steering wheel, and dashboard shimmer in Topaz, while the rear fades into Beluga. Stitching and piping carry a Dragonfly accent, a final flourish seemingly added just to complicate matters further.

Beyond the chromatic artistry, the car also features Bentley’s rotating display, a Naim sound system, and a Dark Chrome interior package, all elements that accompany the fourth-generation Continental GT—or at least those versions destined for buyers unwilling to settle for “ordinary” metallic paint.

Mulliner’s ombre finishes, offered in three official variants, are now available throughout Bentley’s dealer network. For those who demand a car that is not merely blue or grey but “perfectly diffused,” there is finally a code in the catalog to match.