Just imagine how much easier coachbuilding will be with interchangeable cabins
by Robert Moore, on LISTEN 02:15If Bentley and coachbuilding were people like you and me, they would be inseparable best friends. Take the Bentley Mulliner Bacalar or the Continental GT Convertible Equestrian, for example – they are overly luxurious and highly custom thanks to Bentley’s Mulliner division. These examples show just how far Bentley will go to tailor its vehicles to customer desire, and with the whole automotive world shifting like never before, what does the future hold for a company like Bentley? Well, modular coachbuilding could become the next big thing, and automotive designer Joseph Robinson drew up a project to represent just that.
Bentley Centanne Modular Rendering
The rendering you see above, which Robinson is calling the Bentley Centanne (boy that’s really a Bentley name, isn’t it?) is a zero-emission shooting brake from the future. IT takes styling cues from things like London’s modern architecture and various sci-fi characters, among other things, but the idea for the long, all-glass roof isn’t something we’ve seen on too many cars today, and it looks amazing here. We could do with the overly aggressive front splitter, and, in fairness, the rear end feels a little too long on top and short on bottom, but overall, it’s a good-looking vehicle. And, while we can’t see the inside, you can imagine it’s loaded with over-the-top luxury features like persistent scent nozzles, wood trim from 5,000-year-old trees, some futuristic, special form of Alcantara, and who knows what else. The designer did say that behind the seats there is “a love seat for its passengers so they can enjoy the view without leaving the vehicle.”
Meanwhile, there are no real details on the electric drivetrain that Robinson has envisioned for the Centanne, but he said, “the electric powertrain will still allow for ample storage space up front” and that the electric architecture as a whole will allow customers to quickly swap cabins whenever they want. The three cabin designs made Robinson include the shooting brake design, a high-riding crossover design, and a stylish coupe. So, you know, take your girlfriend out on Friday, tear up the street scene on Saturday evening, and drive to work in class on Monday. Now, that’s a future I wouldn’t mind living in. How about you?
