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Geneva Motor Show 2020

Could Bentley Mulliner build a soft-top Bentayga Cabriolet?

They’re not saying ‘definitely’, but they’re not saying ‘definitely not’, either

Published: 05 Mar 2020

“I’m in the business of fulfilling dreams, not judging dreams. There are no limits to a fantasy.”

Wow. Bentley Mulliner boss Tim Hannig truly is a one-man quote machine. If he wasn’t heading up the return of Bentley’s coachbuilding arm as a force in the ultra-luxury exotic car market, he’d make a killing selling inspirational quotes on Instagram.

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Joking aside, Tim Hannig doesn’t, in fact, have the easiest job in the car world. Building cars like the 650bhp Bacalar super-roadster isn’t just a case of flashing a design sketch at the super-rich and waiting for the bullion-loaded helicopters to arrive.

“Everyone we say ‘no’ to we then start working with on something else,” he tells TopGear.com at the secret reveal of the Bentley Mulliner Bacalar. “I hate to disappoint people.”

And, you sense, the people who can afford to buy but miss out on receiving limited-edition super-Bentleys do not take kindly to being disappointed. Some of them probably have their own armies.

So, how far would Mulliner go? Say a brick came through the window with a blank cheque attached, and a note asking them to build something mad. Something bizarre. Something like, say, a Bentayga Cabriolet. Would they do it?

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Tim doesn’t retch at the idea. In fact, he’s pretty pragmatic. “If we could build it,” he says, “and maintain Bentley’s style, and if there was a [customer] interest, I would say there’s nothing that’s impossible.”

So, that’s not a definite ‘yes’. But it sure as heck ain’t a full-stop ‘no’, either…

Got us thinking, too. What other one-off Bentleys could we see commissioned? A six-wheeled Conti? A Mulsanne Estate? Suggestions below please – you never know who might be looking out for inspiration.

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