Today I feel proud to be British, not for the fact that Johnny English reborn is releasing in Cinemas, but for the fact that Bentley have announced the launch of a unique collaboration with fellow British design company Linley for a limited edition of 10 Continental Flying Spurs.
Linley have been well known for making Cigar and smoking accessories, and have now teamed up with Bentley to make what I like to think is ‘A Perfect Car’.
The limited edition CFS models will be sold in China, reflecting continuing demand by Bentley’s biggest four-door market. They incorporate signature Linley elements designed to appeal to customers who value pedigree and lineage, handcrafted quality and peerless design.
But forget all that, the rear console has been modified for a customer-commissioned Linley humidor.
Brett Boydell, senior designer at Bentley, says: “The humidor has been designed by Linley and it drops into a unique console. We have reconfigured the console so that the humidor can fit in, moving things around and creating a space. It was an engineering feat to meet the quality requirements of a Bentley and the design cues of Linley.”
The project has been worked on by Mark Blanchard, Head of Design at Linley, who comments: “It has been an exciting and challenging project to work on. We designed the interior within the stringent constraints specified by Bentley, however we ensured the car exemplified Linley craftsmanship.
Stainless steel Linley treadplates also feature on the cars, as does a Linley for Bentley rhodium-plated plaque in the glove box. There is also a stainless steel overlay of the Linley logo on the passenger fascia panel. Modified fluting on the seats features burnt oak contrast stitching, with additional burnt oak hide accentuating the storage areas and door pockets.
A Linley branded leather bag with a sumptuous cashmere blanket and other Linley items such as a leather luggage tag is also included in the boot of the limited edition Flying Spurs.
Key Features of the Bentley limited edition Continental Flying Spur -in a nutshell:
• The distinctive marquetry inlaid Helix motif runs throughout the interior.
• Linley-designed box in the rear console – the humidor contains a humidification system, cigar cutter and ashtray.
• In-built fridge set behind the arm rest and rear console, with specially designed space for bottle storage.
• The picnic tables have a pop-up vanity mirror concealed within them, which is a standard option on the CFS.
I think this is pretty sweet if I do say so myself. I’ll be popping down to Berkeley Square very soon. I wonder if I will be looked at funny if I ask to just test drive the humidor and not the car?
Find out more info about the car here