Bentley's Olympia Collection: 12 Continental GTs, 56 Hours of Paint Each

Bentley has rolled out the Olympia Collection by Mulliner, a run of 12 numbered Continental GTs built to mark a century since the 6 ½ Litre appeared as a complete coachbuilt car at the 1926 Olympia Motor Show. Each car passes through Mulliner's coachbuilding division. The changes live in the paint, the leather, and the period-correct details — not under the hood.

The centerpiece is Ombré by Mulliner, a finish that fades from Verdant green at the nose to Midnight Emerald at the tail. According to Bentley, its paint technicians need 56 hours to complete the gradient on every single car, far beyond a standard color coat. Blending two greens across every body panel without a visible seam takes repeated passes and hand correction, though Bentley hasn't said how that time splits between masking, layering, and polishing.

Inside, the cabin splits Coach Green and Cumbrian Green leather against a heritage-patinated finish built to look worn. Black-stained open-pore crown-cut walnut veneer, diamond-knurled controls, and Champagne Gold accents fill out the trim. Each buyer also gets a matching car cover, a commemorative book, a handover box, and an individually numbered Brooklands watch with a strap cut from the same Coach Green leather used in the cabin.

The name reaches straight back to W.O. Bentley's era. His first car, the 3 Litre, arrived in 1921, and his answer to heavier coachwork on that chassis was the larger 6 ½ Litre, shown as a bare chassis at Olympia in 1925 and as a complete car a year later. The 6 ½ Litre proved itself at Brooklands before its engine was paired with a more performance-focused chassis for the separate Speed Six, which won Le Mans in 1929 and 1930. Bentley tied the tribute to that history in a statement: “The uncompromising drive for excellence epitomised by W.O.'s Lyon to Dieppe spirited drive can still be found in Crewe's Dream Factory today.”

Mulliner has leaned on anniversaries before, with earlier commissions marking 80 years at Crewe and a one-off Barnato Green Continental GT. This time Bentley is keeping quiet on the numbers that usually matter — no powertrain changes, no performance figures, no pricing, and no pricing regions. It's pitching the Olympia Collection purely as a special edition built around finish and materials.