Dirk Van Braeckel Walks Us Through The Bentley Mulsanne’s Design
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: YouTube ::: 2011 Bentley Mulsanne
IN The flesh, the 2011 Bentley Mulsanne (pronounced “Mul-SAHN”) is rather imposing. In some respects those “power lines” effect a paradoxically subtle grace. But in photographs, these aspects don’t always filter through; leaving the new flagship took look bloated.
Nevertheless, whether you love or loathe the new Mulsanne’s basking shark face mixed with coupe-ified Rolls-Royce DNA, you’ll likely appreciate understanding how the Bentley design team got there.
Dirk Van Braeckel, Bentley’s design chief gives us a brief, guided glimpse of the styling elements that grace the latest Bentley to wear the Mulsanne tag.
July 09, 2010
About the Author: Gunnar Heinrich is publisher of Automobiles De Luxe online and is executive producer of the Automobiles De Luxe Television series on PBS member station CPTV.
Abel | Jul 9, 2010 | Reply
Dirk isn’t Dutch. He’s from Belgium. And believe it or not, calling a Belgian “Dutch” offends them in one way or another.
Gunnar | Jul 9, 2010 | Reply
Right you are. Silly me for forgetting that Flemish is a huge cultural part of Belgium (which I usually associate as un pays francophone).
Distiller | Jul 10, 2010 | Reply
Sportiness in a 2500kg, 550cm 4-door monster? I don’t get the positioning and priorities of that car. For me a car of that size is ONLY a chauffeur driven limousine. And using a driver myself (well, it’s a company driver), I know I only care how such a car feels in the back. I would never drive a monster like that myself. Not even as a coupe. And I wonder how many people actually would!
The design? Well, gotta wait till I’m back in MOW to see it in the flesh. But looking at the pictures and vids, it comes across quite unbalanced.