Bentley hits two milestones nearly a century apart at the same time

Bentley's Mulliner division completed two customer cars that couldn't be more different. It finished the first Bacalar, a futuristic-looking roadster related to the Continental GT, and it wrapped up the first Blower continuation car.

Each limited to 12 examples, the Bacalar and the Blower are customer-configured special projects that are built largely by hand, so signing off the first examples is a major accomplishment. Bentley isn't able to reveal the identity of the person who purchased either.

The first Blower is painted in Birkin Green as a tribute to one of original Blowers, which was built and raced by Sir Tim Birkin. Its wire wheels are also green, and its soft top is black.

Mechanically, the first continuation Blower is identical to the 1929 car, meaning it's powered by a supercharged, 4.4-liter four-cylinder engine, but Bentley made a handful of small changes in the name of safety and convenience. First, it fitted electric fuel pumps and added a foam baffle to the fuel tank. Second, it added a dynator that it describes as "a reworked alternative to the original dynamo." Everything inside the four-cylinder is a re-creation of the original engine, down to the aluminum pistons. It develops 240 horsepower, which was amazing in 1929.

Back in the 21st century, the first Bacalar is finished in Atom Silver with Moss Green and gloss black exterior accents. It rides on 22-inch wheels. Beluga leather upholstery dominates the cabin, and the owner commissioned a sprinkling of black and green to create a visual link between the exterior and the interior. Bentley delivered the car with a set of leather-upholstered luggage, and it placed the key in a box that's upholstered with the same leather.

Power for the Bacalar comes from a twin-turbocharged, 6.0-liter W12 that delivers 650 horsepower and 667 pound-feet of torque. It spins the four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission connected to shift paddles. While this is an existing powertrain, Bentley nonetheless put the Bacalar through extensive durability tests in 2020.

Both models are on their way to their new home. Keep your eyes peeled at the next cars and coffee event; who knows, one might make a surprise appearance. Bentley previously said the Bacalar would be sold in America under the Show and Display rule, so some of the production run will likely end up here. In the meantime, the men and women in Bentley's Mulliner workshop have already started building the next three examples in each series.