- New dynamic imagery of EXP 100 GT taken on the Monterey peninsula
- 1931 Bentley 8-Litre wins top ‘Best of Show’ award at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
- All-new Flying Spur makes Americas debut
- Pikes Peak Continental GT, new Continental GT V8 Convertible and 1929 Team Blower lead Centenary Parade at Laguna Seca
- The Home of Bentley celebrates 100 years through a showcase of British craftsmanship and design
Bentley is releasing new dynamic images of its visionary EXP 100 GT concept car to celebrate a stunning presence at Monterey Car Week 2019, which was crowned with a Bentley taking the coveted ‘Best of Show’ prize at the pinnacle Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Alongside the new images, that also include stunning location shots taken on the Monterey Peninsula, Bentley has launched a new and dedicated app for Apple devices. The ‘Bentley 100 AR’app uses a printable QR code to provide an augmented reality experience of the EXP 100 GT, allowing users to explore the exterior and interior of the concept car. Users can even interact with a virtual version of the car in full scale, by using the app at selected Bentley retailers.
This year saw the biggest and most successful Bentley presence at Monterey Car Week in its history, as part of the marque’s extensive centenary celebrations. The Home of Bentley in Monterey – a private residence in Pebble Beach that transforms to be a ‘home away from home’ – featured a display of current product including the all-new Continental GT V8 as well as the Bentayga portfolio of Design Series, Speed, V8 and Hybrid. Alongside the model range and customer test drive programme was a Bentley boutique and a dedicated ‘Crewe in America’ showcase of design and handcraftsmanship skills provided by a team of Bentley colleagues that joined direct from Crewe, England.
The EXP 100 GT made its Americas debut at The Quail – A Motorsports Gathering, on Friday – the first act of a trilogy of appearances that included Saturday at the Home of Bentley and a star showing alongside the Concept Lawn at the Concours d’Elegance on Sunday.
Saturday daytime saw a dedicated Centenary Parade take place at the iconic Laguna Seca raceway. Led by a three-car echelon of the 1929 4½-litre Team Blower, record-breaking Pikes Peak Continental GT and new Continental GT V8 Convertible, the 21-car field also comprised heritage pre-war Bentleys that had completed the W.O. Bentley Tour up the California coastline earlier in the week.
Bentley’s pinnacle Signature Party took place on Saturday evening, with more than 400 VIP guests attending over the course of the evening at The Beach & Tennis Club in Pebble Beach. Bentley Chairman and CEO Adrian Hallmark and Americas CEO and President Christophe Georges together introduced the all-new Flying Spur luxury sedan for its Americas debut, and displayed the cars of the W.O. Bentley tour arrived in style to form a guard of honour for the evening.
Bentley was a featured marque at Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where almost 60 Bentleys filled six individual classes across the show field. Highlights included the bringing together of the three most famous Speed Six models – Old Numbers 1, 2 and 3 – and three of just four Team Blowers ever built. The crowning moment came at the end of the day, when The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie’s exquisite 1931 8 Litre Gurney Nutting Sports Tourer was awarded the prestigious ‘Best of Show’ award, handed to the car that the judging panel deems to be the finest at the Concours.
Bentley Motors will return to the peninsula for Monterey Car Week next year, from Thursday 13th to Sunday 16th August 2020. Before then, Bentley’s 100th birthday festivities in The Americas will culminate with a Bentley Centenary Celebration and Parade through Manhattan on 19th October.