2021 Bentley Bacalar

The Bentley Bacalar is meant to be the ultimate expression of open-top motoring. Using the oldest coachbuilder in the world, Bentley Mulliner, the prestigious British automaker will produce just 12 of these W12-powered 2-door masterpieces - and every single one has been sold.

While the Bacalar's spec sheet reads like the best of Bentley, we are once again captivated by the concept of coachbuilding. It's especially relevant now that Bentley has announced that it will be going all-electric in the future. Most electric vehicles are built using a skateboard design, with the battery packs nestled low down between the wheels; this gives designers more creative freedom. Theoretically speaking, it should make coachbuilding easier than ever before. Is the Bacalar just a once-off, or a subtle hint of what Bentley is planning for the next few decades?

Think of the Bacalar as a more macho, roofless version of the Continental GT. It shares some design DNA, but the exterior is entirely bespoke. The front end is dominated by a selection of grilles and two large vents on the hood. Bentley's famous round headlights are present, but a new LED strip emanates from the main lights and serves as a starting point for a design line that runs the entire length of the vehicle. The rear is the best angle, however, since the bodywork rises to create an integrated rear wing. The thin taillights appear to be squashed between the rear wing and the lower bumper. A set of 22-inch alloy wheels are standard.

Bentley doesn't provide a full breakdown of the Bacalar's dimensions, but we know it's based on the Continental GT's platform. Bentley has stated that the track is 0.8 inches wider, and that's all we know for a fact. Since the Bacalar is based on the Continental platform, it's safe to assume it uses the same 112.2-inch wheelbase. Due to the design, it's bound to be lower to the ground.

The Bacalar's weight is tricky to guess, but Bentley states the rear clamshell is made of aluminum, while the doors and wings are carbon fiber. Since there is no roof or electric mechanism operating it, we reckon the Bacalar weighs less than the 5,322-pound W12 Continental GT Convertible.

Since only 12 will be built, Bentley will be collaborating with the individual customers, not just when it comes to the exterior hue selection, but the entire theme of the car. To demonstrate the nearly limitless possibilities, Bentley already designed three different themes for its website. The Clerkenwell is an homage to British racing and the borough of Clerkenwell, which is one of the oldest in London. It has a Moss Green exterior, Honey Larch veneer, and Cheltenham tweed. The Menlo is named after Menlo Park in Palo Alto. It has a Beluga interior, Cobalt blue exterior, and Cyber Yellow exterior accents. These two wildly different cars perfectly illustrate the level of customization offered to Bacalar owners.

The Bacalar uses its well-known 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 engine, boasting 650 horsepower and 667 lb-ft of torque. It's mated to an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission that sends the power to an active all-wheel-drive system. The latter can split the power between the two axles, but its default setting provides as much power as possible to the rear wheels.

Bentley's W12 is a mixed bag. Since the new Bentley Bacalar is meant to be the ultimate open-top grand tourer, it gets the most powerful engine, and those 650 horses get it from 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds. Top speed has yet to be confirmed, but at the time of writing, Bentley predicted it will be capable of breaching 200 mph. Still, Bentley's W12 isn't a particularly captivating power plant. It has loads of power, but the noise it produces is slightly 'meh'. Part of the appeal of topless motoring is having unfiltered access to the car's soundtrack. We would have gladly sacrificed a few split-seconds and a 200 mph top speed for a more captivating exhaust note. Surely Bentley's 4.0-liter V8 would have been a better choice given the application. We do understand the thinking behind it, however. Any customer who spends $1.9 million on a Bacalar is not going to accept anything but the very best Bentley has to offer.

Bentley and Bugatti are the only manufacturers still using engines in a W configuration. On the plus side, this means the engine can be more compact and lighter while delivering the same sort of power as a V12. On the downside, it lacks character. You get massive lumps of torque but no discernible engine noise. The W12 is at its best in the Flying Spur, meant to be a sensory deprivation tank that can move along at great speed.

Whatever driving mode you select, the changes are quick, efficient, and nearly imperceptible. When it comes to supercars, we like a bit of a kick in the rear on the upshift, but since Bentley is and always has been a luxury brand, the gearbox's quiet and efficient nature is perfect.

The Continental GT is not a bad place to start when formulating the Bacalar. The original formula dating back to 2003 wasn't as polished, but Bentley has had nearly 20 years to refine every little detail. Handling-wise, Bentley's most significant changes to its grand tourers over the years have been upgrading the AWD system and including adaptive damping. The first-generation of the Continental had a 50:50 torque split, and the result was understeer. Then Bentley worked on a more dynamic torque split for the SuperSport. It proved to be much better, so it became the default for all future Bentleys.

Thanks to adaptive damping, Bentley was able to make its 5,000+ lbs monsters handle much better. We're not talking Ferrari sports car levels of finesse, but modern adaptive damping is an engineering marvel. It keeps body roll to a minimum, increasing driver confidence.

The AWD system also makes the massive helping of power more accessible. Most supercars have between 650-750 hp these days, and delivering that amount of power through two contact patches is simply impossible in adverse weather conditions. You might not be able to use all of the Bentley's power all of the time, but the AWD certainly helps.

It should come as no surprise that there aren't any claimed gas consumption figures. Why would there be? The owner of a $1.9 million car is hardly going to be concerned with consumption and refueling. That's the curator of the car collection's job. Seriously, at this level, buyers have an average of 100 cars and at least one person employed full-time to look after all of them.

Bentley interiors in 2021 are stunning. Standard models already boast nearly limitless customization options, and Bentley Mulliner takes it a step further.

As a Bacalar customer, you don't use something as rudimentary as an online configurator. No, sir. You have direct access to the factory. Before Bentley even started the Bacalar project, it phoned each of the 12 lucky customers directly to ask whether the lack of a roof would put them off. The answer was no, so here we are.

The interior is also bespoke, and only one part from the Continental GT has been carried over to the Bacalar. It's the center of the steering wheel, which houses the airbag. For safety reasons, Bentley still uses it, but the rest of the steering wheel around it is entirely new, as is the wraparound cockpit. There are no rear seats, as Bentley chose to use that space as a semi-closed rear compartment for the bespoke Schedoni luggage.

The material quality is next level. Nothing appears to be off the cards. The only standard materials are the Dark Bronze and Midnight Black Titanium, used on the buttons and air vents. And though you can have everything you want, Bentley used the sole demonstrator to showcase the use of sustainable materials. Sustainable rice husk paint is used on the rear panel, but our absolute favorite is the 5,000-year-old Riverwood dashboard trim. No trees were harmed, in case you were wondering. Bentley only used pieces that fell off on their own.

The Bentley Continental GT Convertible is one of the few drop-tops with usable rear seats, but due to the Bacalar's unique styling, there is no space for a trunk in the usual spot. Instead, Bentley uses the space where the rear seats would have been for luggage storage.

This gave the interior designers more room to work with in the front, and they made the most of the available space. There's acres of legroom, and the seats are mounted relatively low. This means even six-footers don't have to worry about peering over the top of the windscreen.

Every one of the 12 cars will be different. The best way to demonstrate the level of quality we're talking about is to look at the yellow demonstrator. It features Beluga leather sewn together using Bentley's heritage semi-gloss leather and natural wool. It also has Bentley Mulliner's Kharmun accent leather on the dashboard. Bentley says it matches the Yellow Flame exterior perfectly. The Bacalar also has the first-ever flat-bottomed steering wheel in Bentley's history. It has Alcantara inserts and a contrast top marker. The gear shifter is also finished in Alcantara.

Finally, each car has a model-specific clock with one-of-12 badging.

The Bacalar does not have a trunk but rather two pods behind the seats. These spaces were designed specifically to accommodate tailor-made luggage by Schedoni. The Italian company has spent the last 140 years building luggage for the automotive industry. Naturally, the bags will be tailored to match the interior. Neither Bentley nor Schedoni supplies measurements for the bags, but they look large enough to cater to a weekend away from home.

Being a Bentley, certain standard features are expected. So, as a matter of course, you get leather upholstery, heated and ventilated power-adjustable seats, and insane attention to detail. The main interior feature is Bentley's Rotating Display. It has three sides, with the Riverwood veneer being on display when the car is switched off. Those who aren't in the mood for technology can rotate it to the analog side; this side houses three analog dials, including an outside temperature display, compass, and chronometer.

The third interface on the rotating display is a touchscreen interface with a customer-configurable home screen. Bentley says it has been designed to mimic a modern smartphone with simple menus and fast swiping. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, navigation, and HD Radio are all standard. Bentley doesn't mention a standard sound system, but we expect a bespoke system from one of Bentley's preferred partners, Bang & Olufsen or Naim.

The best thing about being one of 12 customers is that you have a direct line to the people who built the car. From Bentley's side, these 12 people are likely their most affluent customer base. We'd be willing to bet an entire year's wages that every component on these 12 cars will be triple-checked before leaving Crewe.

With a production run of only 12 units, there was no way Bentley would hand over units to the NHTSA or the IIHS; this means there's no official safety review for the Bentley Bacalar. But even the standard Continental GT Convertible exists without a safety review, and it's improbable that any Bentley is unsafe. The Bacalar has a minimal customer base, and it's in Bentley's best interest to keep them alive and happy.

Bentley made no mention of safety features, but it requires ABS, traction and stability control, and a rearview camera to be sold in the USA. Driver-assistance features mean nothing on a car like this. It's not something you use for the daily grind. Whenever you drive it, your entire focus is on the experience, and the last thing you want is an electronic nanny beeping incessantly.

A yes or no answer isn't applicable in this case. Only 12 will be built, and the Bentley is one of those cars that only changes owners when somebody dies. And even in that case, would you want it? A coach-built car is a highly personal thing. Its design speaks to the specific needs and tastes of an individual, rather than a market as a whole.

We do love the fact that Bentley did this, and we hope this nearly lost art makes a comeback. Back before the invention of mass production, that's how cars were made: A person purchased a rolling chassis with an engine and turned to a coachbuilder to put something on top. Pretty soon, every manufacturer will have a standard electric skateboard platform. This will make a project like the Bacalar so much easier to pull off. Designers won't have to worry about working around an engine, gearbox, or driveshaft. The only constraints are working within the boundaries of the wheelbase and width.

We do hope to see more cars like the Bacalar in the future. They'll still be expensive, but not $1,9 million expensive. Think more along the lines of supercar money. Perhaps coachbuilding will be the saving grace of the supercar since we've already reached peak performance. With performance sorted, we can move toward creating stunning designs instead.

The Bentley Bacalar has a base price of 1,9 million US dollars. It's doubtful that's anywhere near the final price, however. With so many customization options available, and each of the 12 lucky customers demanding a unique touch, there's no way of knowing the actual price of each Bacalar. We suppose you can look at it as an investment. Any car with a minimal production run will hold or gain value in the long run.

There is technically only one Bacalar model, but each of the 12 units will be as unique as their owners. Some features will be standard across the entire production run, like the exterior design, inspired by the EXP GT 100 concept car.

Specs from the W12 engine are impressive; 650 hp and will get the Bacalar to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. Bentley predicts it will have a top speed north of 200 mph.

On the inside, the only standard features are the digital instrument cluster, air vents, clock, the buttons on the steering wheel, and the buttons located on the center console. You also get a rotating center display with a modern infotainment system or three analog dials. When the Bacalar is turned off, it rotates to whatever interior trim the customer chooses.

We're not trying to say the Bentley is sparsely equipped. It's just that at this level, you look at the interior as a blank canvas. Even the bespoke Schedoni luggage isn't standard, likely because the customers would like to match the luggage to whatever interior color options and materials they go for.

There are no additional packages for the Bacalar. But you do get access to your very own representative and a close working relationship with the factory in Crewe. We reckon anything within reason is possible.

Since the Bacalar is already sold out, there's no point in answering this question. Still, we can dream, at least. Out of the three renderings Bentley has on its website, we like the Greenwich most. It has a matte black and caramel interior with grey tweed inserts. The exterior is finished in New Grey, which works beautifully with the Open Pore Riverwood trim.

The Bacalar's nearly $2 million asking price makes the W12 Continental GT Convertible look like a bargain; it retails for just $240,800.

Performance is nearly identical, but that's where the similarities end - the Bentley Bacalar isn't a convertible, but it does provide open-top driving pleasure. And you don't get the same level of customization with the Conti GT. However, even a standard Bentley comes with 85 colors to choose from, and that's before you get to the interior upholstery and trim options. The standard car also has a rotating center display and a host of comfort features as standard. To us, this seems like the easiest choice in the world. Heck, we'd even save more by buying the (better) V8 model.

There is one problem, though. We're looking at this from the perspective of a person who can't afford either. To us, it seems silly to drop $2 million on a car. To the person who can afford it, $2 million is an insignificant amount of money. And they'd be more than willing to fork it over to have one of 12 instead of a normal Continental GT Convertible that any regular millionaire can buy.