Bentley’s Mulliner division will build 12 individually numbered Continental GTs for its Olympia Collection, marking a century since the production 6½ Litre debuted at London’s Olympia Motor Show. The collection’s signature is a bespoke paint finish that fades from Verdant to Midnight Emerald, with details throughout the car drawn from the 1926 Bentley and the prototype that preceded it.
Two Shades of British Racing Green
Mulliner used two greens to evoke the range of shades associated with British Racing Green in the 1920s. Bentley says its hand-applied ombré process takes 56 hours, blending Verdant into the darker Midnight Emerald without a visible dividing line. Champagne Gold badges and a lower body pinstripe recall the warm tone of the nickel silver used on early Bentley radiator shells and switchgear. Blackline exterior trim frames the paintwork, while the black 22-inch Mulliner wheels use Champagne Gold accents to suggest the spokes of period wheels.
Inside, Mulliner pairs bespoke Coach Green leather with a patinated finish and Cumbrian Green secondary leather. Black-stained, open-pore walnut trims the fascia and door tops. The Bentley Rotating Display carries the car’s individual number and instruments inspired by the 6½ Litre, while Champagne Gold box stitching on the steering wheel recalls the rope wrapping used on period Bentleys.
The Road From Lyon to Dieppe
The collection also picks up a story from the 6½ Litre’s development. In 1924, W.O. Bentley and three colleagues were driving a six-cylinder prototype from Lyon to Dieppe when they encountered a rival manufacturer’s test car. In Bentley’s telling, the two ran side by side at more than 80 mph before the Bentley pulled ahead. The margin was close enough that W.O. returned to England and increased the engine’s displacement from 4.5 to 6.5 liters. The larger engine was better suited to the heavier coachwork customers wanted, and the model’s later Speed Six derivative won Le Mans in 1929 and 1930.
Mulliner picked out the Lyon-to-Dieppe route in Champagne Gold embroidery on the rear ski hatch and recreated the encounter in an animated welcome projection. Each car also comes with a Brooklands Watch Co. chronograph numbered to match the car and fitted with a strap made from the same Coach Green leather as the cabin. Two interchangeable tachymeter bezels reference Brooklands’ Outer and Double Twelve circuits. A commemorative book, a handcrafted presentation box and a bespoke green car cover round out the package.
