Since the very first Bentley in 1921, the finest Grand Tourers in the world have been sold with wooden dashboards. In recent years, the shaping and application of ethically sourced, sustainable wood veneer to Bentley interiors has been recognized as industry-leading – the skills of the craftspeople in Bentley’s Wood Shop are identical to those of the finest cabinet makers. Shaping and polishing wood veneer to tolerances measured in tenths of a millimeter bring an intricate, beautiful element of natural luxury to the cabin.

For those customers wanting to move away from traditional lacquered wood veneer, Bentley now offers the luxury of choice through a number of veneer families and Mulliner Personal Commissioning options.

One such example is through stone veneers. Using state of the art technology, Bentley Mulliner can take stone formed over 200 million years ago and create veneers just 0.1mm thick, making them extremely light in weight. They feature a natural ‘open pore’ finish, with a stone texture you can feel as well as see.

Slate and quartzite stone are sustainably sourced from hand-selected quarries in Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, India—a nation with an ancient and rich culture of stone masonry. The sections of stone are split from larger pieces and cured using a bespoke resin. Finally, they are shaped and hand finished by Bentley’s world-renowned Mulliner coachbuilding team at the company’s headquarters in Crewe, England.

Four different stone colors are available, to complement a range of interiors: Autumn White, Copper, Galaxy, or Terra Red.

Those customers wishing to add a splash of color to their veneers are able to select Piano painted veneers by Bentley Mulliner, offering an ultra-modern look that perfectly complements the wide range of interior hide options available. The same quality of veneer, carefully selected by Bentley’s master craftspeople, is used as when lacquered wood options are chosen, to ensure the same flawless surface finish. The veneer is then hand sanded before it is lacquered, then paint is carefully applied to ensure a perfect finish. After painting, the veneer receives a final polish with lamb’s wool to achieve a mirror like finish.

For those wanting to avoid the gloss of full lacquer, Mulliner provides the option of using open-pore veneer, which is finished with an ultra-thin matt lacquer solely for protection. Liquid Amber, Dark Burr Walnut, and Tamo Ash veneers are all available in an open-pore finish.

Selected from only the very best, most figured stock available, open-pore veneer is painted with just three ultra-thin layers of lacquer, together totaling only 0.1 mm in thickness. By comparison, Bentley’s High Gloss lacquer coating is 0.5 mm thick and has a glossy, smooth finish. Each layer is applied by hand and sanded between applications, ensuring the lacquer sticks to the natural grooves of the wood. The resulting finish is wax-like and perfectly highlights the authentic, natural color and texture of the wood species.

Finally, there are a variety of technical finishes. High-gloss carbon fiber replaces the veneer panels to add a contemporary, technical and sporty feel to the interior. An optic resin process enhances the 3D appearance of the carbon fiber weave to maximum effect, providing a seamless geometric surface flowing around the cockpit from one door to the other.

Unique to the new Bentayga, a stunning dark tint diamond brushed aluminum finish trim is available as an option in a Bentley for the first time. Evoking the Bentley matrix grille design, this exquisite finish is produced via an intricate process of brushing the aluminum precisely from multiple directions, to achieve a contemporary three-dimensional effect.