Bentley unveils six-seat Mulsanne Grand Limousine at Geneva

Bentley has unveiled the six-seat Mulsanne Grand Limousine at the Geneva motor show, the first sign of its broader remit.

The car is longer and taller than the new Mulsanne and gets a unique interior, which features ‘smart glass’ that allows passengers to switch the interior division and rear-cabin window glass between clear and opaque.

The opulent interior has four seats in the rear, and features veneered fold-out tables, a bottle cooler with frosted glass and crystal flutes, as well as a soft drink cabinet with bespoke tumblers.

Asked if the highly re-engineered car signalled a new direction for Mulliner, which has long customised car colours and specs to customer requirements, Bentley boss Wolfgang Dürheimer said: "Yes, I think we can do more.

"Mulliner is an asset with a history nearly 500 years old, but it is not a well-known name and we must change that. It's an asset, both for customers and for us to develop one-off ideas and see where they lead. It is somewhere exceptional ideas can take shape, and small scale ideas can be developed to larger scale ones."

Asked how far Mulliner could go, and if it could revive the art of coachbuilt one-offs, Dürheimer added: "It's possible, yes. The only thing to say is that Stefan Sielaff is the design director, and what he says is the rule. If someone wants a Bentley that looks like a tank, then he will say no.

"But if a customer demands something unusual but tasteful, then why not? We'll explore all ideas - our capabilities do not end with the standard option list, but extend to Mulliner.

"All I add is that our customers' safety must come first. Anything that alters the aero, suspension or weight balance needs careful consideration - you can't just play with these things in cars capable of 190mph."

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