The 2020 Bentley Flying Spur has 3-D wood now, and it looks spectacular

This is the coolest wood you’re going to see today. We promise. Bentley is now manufacturing something it calls “Three-Dimensional Wood.” And yes, all wood we come into contact with is 3-D, but this stuff pops out at you like people and items do in a 3-D movie. You’ll find it in the rear door inserts of the Bentley Flying Spur, assuming the owner checked the box.

One look at the photos will have you going, “how the … ?” Yes, it’s pretty wild to see, and we can imagine the effect it has in person is even stronger. Bentley did explain how it made wood look like the diamond-quilted leather it uses in its seats, though. As one would expect from Bentley, it’s a hell of a process. 

Each rear door and quarter panel is crafted out of a single block of wood. Bentley uses either American Walnut or American Cherry timber. They start by machining the back of the log to match a die-cast aluminum door panel template. It’s bonded to the template, and then the difficult work begins. Skilled craftspeople carve the wood to its three-dimensional surface with a multi-axis routing machine to a tolerance of 0.1 mm. They then hand finish the cuts to achieve perfect results. Finally, a lacquer is applied to attain the color and texture that Bentley desires.

Left: EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept; Right: Production Flying Spur pattern

This design of wood was first seen in a Bentley concept from 2015. It was called the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 (shown above, left). After the positive reaction to that design, Bentley says it felt a production adaptation was in order. 

“Three-Dimensional Wood is the next interior design element we’ve taken from concept car idea to production reality,” Brett Boydell, Head of Interior Design for the Flying Spur said. “It works in perfect harmony with the three-dimensional leather quilting across the cabin of the Flying Spur and creates an even more special environment for those being driven.”

If you were to count the number of carved diamonds in the wood, you’d come to a total of 150 in the Flying Spur. As of now, the big sedan is the only Bentley this option is available in. We wouldn’t be surprised if it expanded to others in the future. In addition to that, this is a design that could be translated into lesser luxury cars using cheaper processes and 3-D printing. Bring on the 3-D wood.

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