Bentley Mulsanne

The design of the Mulsanne, Bentley’s new flagship, is a compelling fusion of sportiness, solidity and coach-built elegance – created on a grand scale. Its sweeping bonnet and long overhang convey a sense of power and movement, enhanced by the muscular haunches and sharply sculpted lines flowing gracefully from the front wings to the rear.
The shining bare metal shells that will eventually become Bentley’s new flagship are created using a combination of high-strength steels and aluminium. These components are assembled into a complete shell using techniques that range from industry-leading adhesives through to hand-crafted brazing skills.
It requires 125 man-hours to create the body of a pre-production Mulsanne at the new 7,500m² Assembly Centre. And inside the multi-million pound facility, robotic arms carrying massive self-piercing riveters work in harmony with coachbuilders renowned for their metalworking skills at the company’s Crewe factory.
For example, the Mulsanne’s hewn from solid appearance without visible panel seams is impossible in volume car manufacture. The seamless sweep of the Mulsanne’s roof, rear wing and boot can only be achieved by crafting a hand-brazed seam midway down the D-pillar, a task still best performed with ‘hand and eye’ by Bentley’s award-winning craftsmen. The quality of this type of work has earned Crewe’s craftsmen the rare distinction of a medal from the British Institute of Sheet Metal Engineering.
In complete contrast to the craftsman’s time-honoured skills, is the use of superforming which is essential to create the highly-complex three dimensional curves of the Mulsanne’s front wings. .