GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Wild open-cockpit Bentley Bacalar unveiled

The ultra-limited Bentley Bacalar sports car has been launched to rival both the new McLaren Elva and the upcoming Aston Martin V12 speedster.

All 12 examples to be produced are already sold and each will cost an incredible £1.5 million ($A3m) plus taxes.

Borrowing its name from a lake in Mexico, the Bentley Bacalar has been created to help showcase the British car-maker's bespoke Mulliner division, which created the wild roadster in isolation from Bentley’s ‘mainstream’ models.

Only the platform, powertrain and door-handles have been carried over from the Bentley Continental GT convertible on which the car is based.

Created to be the 'ultimate open cockpit two-seater', the Bentley Bacalar takes its inspiration from last year's stunning EXP 100 GT coupe that marked Bentley's centenary.

It’s made almost entirely of carbon-fibre and features crisp dramatic lines, a centre-spline bonnet and single oval headlights that look they’re lifted directly from the concept.

Instead of the EXP's all-electric battery and motors, the Bentley Bacalar is powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 that has had its power boosted by 19kW to a towering 485kW.

The standard Conti GT's 900Nm peak torque remains unchanged and, against the clock, the special-edition hits 100km/h in 3.6 seconds before eventually topping out at 330km/h.

According to the designers who created it, the Bacalar was the ideal opportunity to explore what a modern Bentley should look like in the future.

Surprisingly, that explains the vibrant Flame Yellow hue and the switch from traditional chrome to cool anodized bronze trim.

Inside, again, the designers and engineers decided to push the envelope by challenging what a Bentley should look and feel like.

Claimed to pay tribute to the late 1920s Birkin Bentley, the wraparound open-cockpit cabin is said to recapture the blustery feel of the original.

And that included making the Bacalar strictly a two-seater. Where you would expect to find the rear pews, there's dedicated space for a set of bespoke luggage.

As you'd expect, both the fit and finish and the quality of the materials employed in the Bacalar's cabin is befitting of its multi-million-dollar price tag.

The seats alone only demonstrate the level of craftsmanship on show here, with each chair requiring 148,199 stiches for its quilted finish.

Where you might expect to find heavily lacquered wood is untreated open-pore river wood from 5000-year-old naturally-felled timber, while the finest leather and anodised titanium finish on the control stuns.

Bentley says the Bacalar was "insanely expensive to make" and that some of the techniques used to create its unique look, feel and finish could only be justified by a limited run of 12 cars and would be have been impossible to justify on a normal production Bentley.

Ask its creators what they're most proud of and the response is surprising because it's what they haven't included in the Bacalar – the roof.

Bentley claims its owners will only ever use their Bacalar on fair-weather days, which is a good thing since its interior isn't the least bit water resistant.

Sadly, none of the 12 cars made are destined for Australia.

However, a Bentley insider told us that future ultra-limited-run Mulliner creations are "more than likely" to make the trip Down Under in order to satisfy those fussy billionaires for who a regular Bentley is just too common.