Bentley Commemorates 100-Year Anniversary With Opulent EXP 100 GT Electric Concept
It’s Bentley’s vision for the ultimate luxury EV grand tourer of the year 2035.
Bentley is one of several automakers celebrating its first 100 years in existence. And to commemorate the big occasion, the crew from Crewe revealed the drop-dead gorgeous Bentley EXP 100 GT concept. In post-apocalyptic steampunk fashion, the Bentley EXP 100 GT concept is everything that you’d expect from a 21st-century opulent automobile set in the year 2035.
Not only does the EXP 100 GT pay tribute to the company’s centenary celebration and obsession with luxurious sports grand tourers, it also previews the future of what’s to come with Bentley’s next generation of automobiles.
“Today, on our Centenary, we demonstrate our vision of the future of our Marque, with the Bentley EXP 100 GT - a modern and definitive Grand Tourer designed to demonstrate that the future of luxury mobility is as inspirational and aspirational as the last 100 years,” Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark said. “Bentley has, and will continue to enhance and enrich every single journey and the lives of every single person who travels in, or has the honor to be a part of creating our extraordinary products.”
The EXP 100 GT is strictly an all-electric vehicle, which is apart of Bentley’s plan to introduce electrification in the coming years. The concept itself is powered by Bentley’s newly trademarked “Next Generation Traction Drive,” which consists of a combination of battery-electric power and torque vectoring.
A total of four electric motors power each wheel for simulated all-paw traction, serving up a zero to 60 time of around 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 186 miles per hour thanks to 1,106 pound-feet of torque. Bentley claims the EXP 100 GT can boast a driving distance of up to 700 kilometers, or around 434 miles on a single charge. When recharged properly, the Bentley EXP 100 GT can replenish its battery to up to 80 percent from fully depleted in just 15 minutes. To top it all off, the car supposedly only weighs 4,188 pounds.
It’s meticulously built with a combination of environmentally sustainable and opulent materials, all in an effort to move closer to a carbon-free future. Such includes the apparent use of 5,000-year-old cooper-infused Riverwood compliments of The Fenland Black Oak Project, Cumbrian crystal surfaces for many of the interior controls, cotton and wool from the very best of Britain’s farms, and organic leather-like material from Bridge of Weir Leather of Scotland. It even features its own purified water decanter should one feel parched on during their journey.
The concept also houses the automaker’s latest rendition of Bentley Personal Assistant, a suite of onboard features that provides the utmost functionality for in-car convenience and helps with reminding the driver as to when the car is needing a recharge. The system can also provide recommendations according to personal driving habits, actively relaying real-time information for quick navigation and factoring in charge points for long-distance journeys. It can also recommend any luxurious attractions one may encounter in between, all thanks to the incorporation of specially programmed artificial intelligence.
The Bentley Personal Assistant also combines the use of the car’s intelligent biometric capabilities that allow occupants to personalize all of their settings, including seat position and vehicle preferences. It also provides the EXP 100 GT with fully autonomous driving capabilities.
The Bentley EXP 100 GT represents the kind of cars we want to make in the future,” said Bentley’s director of design Stefan Sielaff. “Like those iconic Bentleys of the past, this car connects with its passengers’ emotions and helps them experience and safeguard the memories of the really extraordinary journeys they take.”
