Bentley Continental GT Mulliner - long-term review

I’ve asked colleagues and friends what they reckon to this Bentley’s spec. They scuff their shoes, look at the floor, mention what weird weather we’ve been having lately. It’s fair to say this Mulliner ensemble hasn’t met with universal approval – including from me.

However, while the on-paper description ‘baby blue with blood red interior and the black pack’ doesn’t sound classically appealing, there’s historical interest at play here.

The paintwork is called Bedford Grey, weirdly enough. Bentley was founded in Cricklewood, north London and has been headquartered in Crewe, Cheshire since the Second World War. So the reference to Bedford is lost on me, though the weather down there is pretty nondescript I ‘spose. This newly formulated colour will set you back a cool £18,775. Please don’t key it, anyone.

The moody Mulliner Blackline Speciification deletes almost all of the chrome adornments – a shame in my personal opinion as the Conti carries off its chintz well – but this is anecdotally one of the most popular options in Europe and the US, while Middle Eastern customers want their cars to glint in the Arabian sun. Having been to the Crewe factory and seen sparkly Spurs and Bentaygas lined up for Middle Eastern export, the anecdotes are indeed true.

The blacked-out brightwork and Bedford Grey, um, blue pays homage to this car’s twin: one of the continuation Speed Sixes which is finished in exactly the same spec. Bentley wheeled it out when I collected the GT and I swooned at its beauty, the craftsmanship, the slight weirdness of a car that looks so old-fashioned being rich in ‘new car smell’.

But its open-cockpit layout explains another of P44 BML’s odd choices: the Oxblood red Heritage Leather. This isn’t your usual cow hide, but a toughened, weatherproof version newly formulated for Mulliner. It harks back to the days of the Bentley boys, when cars weren’t expected to have rooves and it was likely their upholstery would get wet, then bleached by the sun, and occasionally peppered with oil or smut.

Bentley explains “supplied by Bridge of Weir, the Heritage Leather gives the interior of a modern Bentley the look and feel of one from the 1930s with a two-tone finish and haircell grain". It’s only available in Oxblood Red or a deep green hue, and Bentley rather poetically says this hard-wearing leather never wears out – it only wears in.

And it’s proved to be the most controversial part of the car’s spec. Because of course, this is a coupe, so it doesn’t need a weatherproof interior. And although I’m using the car intensely (we’ve now spent 3,100 miles together in three months) I’m a few decades short of being able to ‘wear in’ the upholstery. Several passengers and colleagues have commented the strangely tough, coarse-feeling hide isn’t as indulgent to the touch as they’d hoped. I’m used to it now, but I see their point. Perhaps this utilitarian finish is better suited to a Bentayga?

Still, Top Gear consumer advice top tip time. If you’re buying a Bentley as a treat, stick to normal leather. Only tick the Heritage box if in the market for an heirloom for the great-grandchildren.