Bentley and Mulliner have decided to celebrate 100 years of British automotive excellence in style, by unveiling the ultimate collector’s vehicle for all Bentley fans: the limited-run Continental GT Number 9 Edition. Handbuilt by Mulliner, this stunning car honors Bentley’s illustrious motorsport legacy and comes with numerous distinctive features that make it stand out of the pack.
Since Bentley is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, this beauty will be produced in a limited series of just 100 examples, each of them equally appealing. The special model actually pays homage to Sir Henry Ralph Stanley Birkin, or ‘Tim’ Birkin, one of the first “Bentley Boys”, a customer who was also a racing driver and an early investor in the British luxury automaker.
No.9 was the Bentley ‘Blower’ that ‘Tim’ Birkin raced at the 1930 Le Mans 24 Hours. The modern Number 9 Edition comes with the same No.9 badgework and a bold graphic on the front grille. Mulliner will give you this car in a lovely Viridian green or a Beluga Black exterior finish, with 21″, 10-spoke wheels, that will be available in three colors, a carbon body kit and Black Line Specification.
Inside the cockpit, you could get the same green or blacked-out look, with Beluga heritage hides or Cumbrian Green elements, matched by glossy door panels, seats, and other areas that seem to shine better than ever. Meanwhile, the dashboard comes with a cool “engine spin” finish on the centre console.
This was a popular racing and aviation finish back in the ’20s and ’30s, a finish that was often called “turned aluminium” due to its limited light reflection.The centre console also sports a vintage-looking British Jaeger clock, designed by Mulliner together with British Jaeger, and inspired by the iconic Blower’s dials on the original No. 9.
There are many other interesting little details that remind us of Tim Birkin’s classic 1930 No.9 Le Mans racer, but the 18K gold plated organ stops or the “1 of 100” treadplates will surely start up a few conversations.
