Monogrammed seats, hand-stitched crests and custom interiors: Bringing your dream luxury car to life

Taking the driver’s seat

Automobile enthusiast Leow Ju-Len shares his journey of bringing his dream car to life with Bentley Mulliner’s designers 

When you have worked hard and found enough success in life to reward yourself with a Bentley, why not make it truly yours, down to the smallest detail? 

I had the chance to play out this delicious fantasy first-hand with Emma Carruthers, a designer and passionate member of Bentley’s Mulliner team, who guided me through the process of personalising my very own Continental GT. 

Through the co-designing process, it went from a luxury supersport grand tourer to a deeply evocative work of self-expression.

The opportunity felt extra special because Bentley’s co-creation process is by invitation only and reserved for the brand’s top clientele.

For the better part of an hour, I worked closely with Emma to turn my ideas into – as a first step – virtual reality, watching with fascination as she interpreted my wishes and applied them to a digital representation of my dream car in real time.

That is a typical timeframe for a one-on-one consultation with Bentley Mulliner when the client knows exactly what they want, but some projects demand far more time — more than a year in one case, with the client excitedly texting Emma in the middle of the night when inspiration struck.

I started with a vague request: Interpret “carpe diem” for me in the form of a Continental GT. I explained that those are words I live by.

She did not miss a beat and followed up with pertinent questions, such as whether I would be taking the speedy Continental GT to the racing track. The conversation quickly shifted into a creative exploration of what my motto could look like as a car.

Emma suggested a sporty theme and showed me colours and textures she thought would fit: A mix of satin black, bold accents and exotic cabin finishes. 

I watched in awe at the speed and skill with which she presented me various options with Mulliner’s impressive software, which the design team uses to render clients’ choices in real time, making it easy to experiment without fear of regret.

But the more we played with options, the more it felt a bit like standing in a Baskin-Robbins ice-cream parlour – 31 flavours and no idea where to go. 

Emma’s experience showed as she helped me narrow things down with more questions. Was my dream Bentley for special outings or the daily commute? Did I want understated elegance or head-turning flair?

She even brought out samples of tinted carbon fibre cabin trim for me to examine, which was a departure from my initial idea of turned aluminium. 

I had fallen in love with the latter, a nod to Bentley’s early supercharged cars, but the carbon fibre’s modern aesthetic won me over.

While the Mulliner team thrive on saying yes, even they have limits. Ethical considerations rule out some exotic materials – crocodile hide would be a no-no, for instance – and technical constraints mean not every idea is feasible. 

For example, when I asked about integrating my favourite audio brand, Emma explained that Bentley only works with approved systems to ensure quality and safety.

After a few skilful adjustments by Emma, we finalised my car: A Continental GT with a satin black exterior, subtle gold accents, unsubtle gold wheels and a cabin wrapped in tinted carbon fibre, and one unusual touch – a driver’s seat trimmed in vivid mandarin orange, to stand out from the other three seats upholstered in black.

A bright orange seat only for the driver, I felt, captured the spirit of carpe diem by emphasising my belief that one needs to steer one’s life with purpose.

Once I gave our design the thumbs up, Emma explained the next steps. High-quality renderings would be sent for me to look over and I could either request changes or give my final approval. 

Then, the build would begin at Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe, England, where every detail would be meticulously crafted and checked. The result? A Bentley as unique as its owner, and my dream car.