Bentley Director of Design Stefan Sielaff has been tasked with the additional role of heading the Mulliner personalization department.
The move is in preparation for a ramp-up of one-off creations similar to the Mulsanne Grand Limousine unveiled last year.
“I want to explore more one-off, bespoke vehicles where the only limitation is the imagination of the customer,” Sielaff said in a statement.
According to Sielaff, who was hired by Bentley in 2015, the possibilities at Mulliner are “essentially endless.” It’s likely, though, there will still be a strict style guide to ensure any one-offs are in keeping with Bentley’s image.
Stefan Sielaff
As an example of what’s possible, the Mulsanne Grand Limousine stretched three feet more than the standard Mulsanne and featured a rearward-facing bench to bring the total number of seats to six.
One of the first projects for Sielaff and his team at Mulliner could be building a small run of Mulsanne-based Grand Convertibles. Bentley CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer last year hinted at 20 of the mega-convertibles being built.
Such projects can be extremely lucrative for automakers. Ferrari has had great success with its Special Projects division, and this has certainly been noticed by other luxury brands. Rolls-Royce recently got into the action with a one-off coachbuild estimated to have cost its own an eye-watering $12.8 million.
Here’s hoping a Bentley customer commissions a EXP 10 Speed 6 sports car based on the next-generation Continental GT.
