Bentley EXP 100 GT secrets revealed

As Adrian Hallmark unveils Bentley’s vision for the future of motoring he sounds more like a politician than a car company CEO.

He hits all the 21st century touch-points, from electrification and recycling to artificial intelligence, autonomy, well-being, organic materials and guilt-free motoring with zero emissions.

It is all wrapped up and reflected in a car called the Bentley EXP 100 GT, which was revealed this week to celebrate the British luxury car-maker’s centenary.

This swoopy concept car is both historic and futuristic, a birthday present from Bentley to itself, and a proper vision of what luxury motoring can become by 2035.

It combines show business and technology, elegance and efficiency, dreams and promises.

For the first time since the world’s old-fashioned motor shows were overtaken by the world of the interwebs, Bentley manages to create theatre and excitement around the unveiling of the EXP 100 as the centrepiece of its centenary celebration.

The company created a special facility in Crewe for the unveiling, just down the road from the historic factory site where it has been based -- originally as a partner to Rolls-Royce -- since the 1930s.

Such a pity, then, that it misses its cue and does not drive into the spotlight as intended for the exclusive press preview… But, after some tweaking to a suspension system that creates too much friction for the electric drivetrain, it drives forward and hits the mark.

“Shit happens,” is all Hallmark has to say about the brief interruption to the 100th birthday party.

But there is much more as he outlines Bentley’s five-point plan for success, working rapidly through restructuring, sales success, upcoming Euro 7 emission targets, electrifying its fleet and getting its first battery-electric car on the road.

Turning to the EXP 100, Hallmark says Bentley has worked with the world’s best suppliers and only two pieces of technology – the hydrogen fuel-cell electric powertrain and full autonomous driving -- are not available today.

“Urbanisation continues to redefine the way people think about cars. Technology is bringing people closer together while posing serious questions about security and well-being,” Hallmark says.

“The birth of the automobile sparked a love affair with the freedom, self-expression, social mobility and social space it brought. We believe that these values will remain.”

“This vision is an autonomous grand tourer with the ability to still enjoy driving,” says Bentley’s director of design, Stefan Sielaff, as he begins his trip through the creation of the EXP 100.

That’s why there is still a steering wheel, although it can be slipped away for the full passenger-only experience.

Sielaff’s team has focussed on light for the car, using crystals that capture sunlight and focus it into the cabin through fibre-optics, to create various moods. There is back-lit seat trimming and projector lights which project patterns onto door pads.

There is biometric seating which measure temperature, passenger position and the environment to deliver ’the ultimate in comfort’, and a Bentley Personal Assistant than even tweak the seats for maximum support.

The Bentley EXP 100 GT is configured for a variety of passenger experiences.

The car is able to ‘cocoon’ its occupants with active noise cancellation and air purification, there is an ‘enhance’ setting that Bentley says “harvest inputs from the outside environment . . . offering a holistic grand tour” and ‘re-live’ will re-play highlights of any trip.

Using hand swipes it can be switched through the various modes, and a passenger can even capture a vision of the sky and then ask the car to explain the clouds it contains.

The Bentley EXP 100 GT is a big car with a pair of 2.5-metre long doors that open upwards to a height of three metres, a full glass roof, a shape that looks like it has been smoothed to cut though the air and a nose with an LED light show and big, old-fashioned round headlights.

But there is also complicated air management, including active aero wheels, to cut noise and make the car more efficient.

No-one is talking about mundane details like the car’s drag co-efficient, but it should handily into the sub-30Cd range.

Bentley has always had aluminium and wood, but the EXP 100 goes much further with 5000-year-old ‘rescued’ wood that has been fused with copper. There are cut-glass crystals, an organic leather-style seat material, and eco-friendly paint that uses rice husks.

“Exceptional, sustainable materials are at the heart of this concept,” says Sielaff.

The Bentley EXP 100 GT is, of course, fully electric.

As presented, it runs on lithium-ion batteries but Bentley is also working on a hydrogen fuel-cell that would power the car through its batteries.

Right now, it says an 80 per cent charge takes just 15 minutes and the power pack delivers 1500Nm of torque with a range of 700km.

There is all-wheel drive with an electric motor for each wheel, torque-vectoring power delivery and a top speed of 300km/h with a 0-100km/h dash in 2.5 seconds.

The car weighs 1900kg, well down from the heft of most current Bentley models.

Bentley is talking big with EXP 100 but, standing alongside the car, it’s easy to be drawn into the dream.

There is no plan to put the car into production, but Hallmark is quick to emphasise that it’s not just a fancy piece of automotive extravagance or day-dreaming.

“What is the future of Bentley? Collaborating with existing and future talent will be essential,” Hallmark says.

“We will still create cars that are near-magical combinations of inspiring design, peerless craftsmanship and exhilarating performance.”