Bentley Motors and the Tron movies apparently made love, and this is what came out of the sweaty tryst. Yes, you're officially looking at the new Bentley EXP 100 GT concept, and you may need a shower after looking at it. If there's any question about Bentley's commitment to not rest on their laurels, the EXP 100 GT is clear evidence they're moving forward hard and fast. The slinky concept was built to celebrate their 100th birthday in both high style and low slung slinkiness. I mean, geez, aren't they going to buy us dinner first?
The only real design cues that mark it as a Bentley exist in the front fascia and the fender curves, but the rest of it really does look nothing like the Bentleys we've come to know. It doesn't even copy the new Flying Spur. Bentley wants us all to think that the next century will be nothing like the first one, and from the looks of things, we're converts to belief.
The EXP 100 GT is purely a concept car, of course, but it shows the world what the future of Bentley could look like (angry sex). The body is made of lightweight aluminium and carbon fiber with copper highlights, the front overhang is low, while the rear overhang is elongated in Grand Touring style. In terms of dimensions, it's a big one. It measures over 19 feet long and almost 8 feet wide, giving it the kind of size reserved for half-ton crew cab pickup trucks. Yowza, that's big.
The concept is based on Bentley's new electric platform, and the car is mean to toe the line equally between full autonomy and piloted driving. Bentley, like just about all luxury carmakers, wants to electrify their lineup in the future, but this thing is overkill in terms of new vehicular interpretations. All-electric range is about 435 miles, which is pretty good for modern standards but not for the future where we'd expect more significant efficiency gains. But do we really care right now when we're too busy staring at the damned thing? The grille looks like it could grate cheese/chip wood/destroy evidence.
Bentley, of course, wants to brag about sustainability, and the EXP 100 GT is all about that with its use of 5,000-year-old Copper-infused Riverwood, paint made from recycled rice husks (huh?), and 100% organic leather-like textile from winemaking (double huh??). There are also Cumbrian crystal interfaces, British wool carpeting, and embroidered cotton surfaces. Next, they'll tell us that bamboo plants sprout from the glovebox, right?
Believe it or not, there's room for up to seven people in the colossal cabin. The seats all slide on tracks, and the second-row stacks on top of the third-row seats like spooning Russian Matryoshka dolls, only way more expensive. Gone are most of the styling elements from current Bentleys except for the diamond quilting on the seats and other surfaces. We're guessing the Bentley factory workers and craftsmen were all wondering what in Hades the finished product was going to look like. POW!
There will be extensive use of Artificial Intelligence that will even be able to replay/relive experiences (Does that mean back-seat experiences? Not necessary.). Rather than the big touchscreens we see in upcoming exotic EVs, the EXP 100 GT relies on the AI for control and customization. The transparent, multi-panel roof has exotic inlays, and just about everything looks very 22nd Century so that all sounds about right. We'll be dead by the time we see something like this on the road. Too bad.
"Today, on our Centenary, we demonstrate our vision of the future of our Marque, with the Bentley EXP 100 GT - a modern and definitive Grand Tourer designed to demonstrate that the future of luxury mobility is as inspirational and aspirational as the last 100 years," stated Bentley CEO, Adrian Hallmark. While that all sounds great, what we really see here is one of the most visceral, emotional, and downright sensual designs to come across the web in a long time. But will they still love us in the morning?
