Bentley EXP 100 GT concept looks backwards and forwards

The future of motoring is still a car.

Bentley has deliberately chosen a four-door grand tourer – not an SUV or some other form of futuristic silliness -- to celebrate its 100th birthday and its drive into the 21st century.

The future car for 2035 is an old-school dream machine, named the Bentley EXP 100 GT, that has everything from an all-electric drivetrain with potential for an onboard fuel-cell to an artificial intelligence system that can store memories from every trip.

It is both a reflection of where Bentley has been and a vision of a future where cars are still at the heart of travel. And it has a steering wheel.

“We will create human experiences that enhance well-being and feed the soul,” the chairman of Bentley motors, Adrian Hallmark, said as he unveiled the EXP 100 overnight in Crewe, Bentley’s historic home base.

“Instead of a predictable evolution, we stand before a future which is open to the redefinition of luxury, mobility and Bentley itself. Remember, our vision is only 16 years in the future.”

Planning for the Bentley EXP 100 began more than two years ago and chief designer, Stefan Sielaff, revealed to carsales.com.au that there was a robust discussion, and then a final rejection, of an idea to present the centenary vehicle as an SUV.

“We didn’t want to do just another cookie cutter box. This is an elegant grand tourer,” says Sielaff.

The car is both a grand vision and a micro-managed reality that starts with a body that is an imposing 5.8 metres long and 2.4 metres wide, with doors that pivot outwards and upwards.

It is made from aluminium and carbon-fibre, with a glass roof filled with prisms that harvest light and transfer it into the cockpit through fibre-optics.

Mechanically, it has a battery-electric powertrain that could be updated with a hydrogen fuel-cell. There are electric motors for each wheel and, with 1500Nm of available torque, the car is claimed to be able to slingshot to 100km/h in 2.5 seconds with a top speed of 300km/h.

Bentley says the batteries will have five times the conventional energy density, cutting weight but still providing a range of 700km with re-charging to 80 per cent in 15 minutes.

Because it’s a Bentley, and even the cheapest Continental GT now starts at $422,600, the list of materials and technology is outrageous.

There is 5000-year-old copper-infused wood, organic leather-like textiles, British wood carpets, and paint with pigments from recycled rice husk ash.

The technology is like a deep dip into a futuristic movie script, from a ‘cocoon’ mode that uses active noise cancellation and air purification to isolate the cabin to active-aero wheels, adaptable biometric seating, and sensors that monitor head and eye movements, as well as blood pressure.

The Bentley EXP 100 GT is designed to be fully autonomous in the right conditions, but also allow the drive to take full control.

“The birth of the automobile sparked a love affair with the freedom, self-expression, social mobility and personal space it brought,” said Hallmark.

“We believe that these values will remain at the heart of luxury travel and we are excited about the huge opportunities ahead.”