Bentley Mulliner has completed the first new Bentley Blower in 90 years,
It has taken 40,000 hours of work to deliver “Car Zero” – the prototype car for the Blower Continuation Series.
It is an exclusive run of 12 customer cars – all pre-sold – which will be crafted from the design drawings and tooling jigs used for the original four Blowers built and raced by Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin in the late 1920s.
Every single component was laser-scanned as part of a wheels-up, sympathetic restoration.
From this data, 1,846 individual parts were designed and hand-crafted to create the new Blower.
Each of these parts and assemblies have been created by a project team of Bentley Mulliner engineers, craftspeople and technicians working together with a number of British specialists and suppliers.
Blower Car Zero is a test and development prototype, built in advance of the 12 customer cars, and will be subjected to months of durability and performance testing.
Finished in gloss black, with an interior in Oxblood red leather from Bridge of Weir, Car Zero made its debut today to officially mark the creation of the new Bentley Motors campus in Crewe.
Made possible by the closing of Pyms Lane – Bentley’s address since 1946 – the campus extends Bentley’s headquarters to a new expanded footprint.
Adrian Hallmark, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, drove Car Zero down Pyms Lane to mark the occasion.
He said: “It was a truly remarkable day, not just as a milestone in the Blower Continuation Series project but also for Bentley Motors.
“To drive the first new Blower in 90 years was a privilege, and the quality of the car would make Sir Tim Birkin himself proud.
“The craftsmanship is exquisite, and I’m pleased to report that the car drives just as beautifully as our original Team Car.
“It was also significant that I could drive the new Blower down Pyms Lane, now part of our main site as we expand to create the new Bentley campus.
“Investing in our headquarters is vital both for Bentley’s future and for Crewe, and our new developments and buildings are a physical manifestation of the exciting future before us as we start our journey to become the world leader in sustainable luxury mobility.”
The Blower Continuation Series is the first customer-facing project delivered by the new Bentley Mulliner Classic portfolio.
