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More than a marque: Discover how Bentley Motors is delivering an entire lifestyle to dedicated fans
By Michelle Johnson | 4 February 2025 | Cars & Yachts
As The Bentley Mews opens its doors to clients seeking more than motors, we ask why heritage brands are diversifying to deliver an entire lifestyle to dedicated fans
For some, a car is simply a means to get from A to B; for others, it is symbolic of an entire lifestyle. In fact, for heritage brands such as Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce and Jaguar, this goes beyond personalisation, as members of such exclusive clubs enjoy perks far beyond the driver’s seat — from owners’ associations to exclusive collaborations. Taking it a step further still is Bentley Motors, the Crewe-based luxury marque founded by WO Bentley in 1919.
Today’s Bentley is the master of personalisation — offering any number of bespoke attributes added to its core range, which includes the Bentayga SUV, the Flying Spur executive sedan, and the Continental GT and GTC (convertible) grand tourers – and intention, pledging to become the most sustainable luxury automotive brand in the world in its Beyond 100 manifesto launched in 2020. But take a look under the hood of the marque itself and owners and enthusiasts will discover a world beyond the wheelbase.
Epitomised by the Bentley Mews, the brand’s English country home near Crewe, Bentley Lifestyle captures the full essence and lifestyle of the prestigious marque through brand extensions that allow consumers to immerse themselves into an opulent world of art, architecture, design and more.
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An elegant and sophisticated country retreat, nestled in four acres of lush parkland in the picturesque Cheshire countryside, the historic property was previously a private residence for Bentley CEOs, but has now been architecturally redesigned and refurbished – and furnished with key pieces from the Bentley Home collection.
“The Mews stands as the definitive Home of Bentley,” says Wayne Bruce, project lead of the Mews. “It embodies a seamless integration of heritage, luxury and exclusivity, set within a tranquil yet sophisticated atmosphere that enhances the overall brand experience.”
Bentley says the property compliments the brand’s existing factory tour and CWI customer experience, not just by offering another way for valued customers to experience the brand’s design aesthetic in a luxurious setting but also to showcase the full ethos and character of the brand’s expanded universe.
To this end, the Bentley Mews is the only location in the UK where clients can view and explore the Bentley Home furniture collection, which first launched 11 years ago. Utilising the marque’s design style in elegant and functional pieces, Bentley Home’s craftsmanship has been showcased at significant fairs such as Milan Design Week — where the Thames coffee table, created by Federico Peri, was launched. The new Wilton Desk was launched in Milan this year as the brand’s “first foray” into home office furniture.
Far from a traditional showroom, guests only need to head to the dining room to view the impressive results of Bentley’s partnership with The Macallan whisky — The Macallan Horizon, released in March, is a limited edition release featuring a unique 180° twist vessel design by Bentley Motors’ design team. The drinks cabinet is, of course, generously stocked with more expressions from the luxury whisky brand.
Throughout the Mews and its outside entertaining spaces, the integrated Naim and Focal audio system offers entertainment options from background music to entertaining. This represents yet another long-standing partnership; Naim has offered its “pinnacle sound system” within Bentley cars for more than ten years.
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BEYOND BENTLEY
The Mews may be the new home of Bentley’s lifestyle offering, but there is still more from the brand, from limited edition vehicles to signature scents. The brand has recently added Bentley Become to its range of fragrances and eau de parfums — the new release, described as “a new scent for the bold and the daring” has been created in partnership with Symrise, providers of recycled and renewable ingredients.
Elsewhere, clients can shop the marque’s collection of luggage – including an elegant leather weekender bag and handbags, including the stylish Italian-crafted calf leather Mary P, inspired by Mary Petre Bruce, the record-breaking motorist and aviator famed in the 1920s and 1930s. Other accessories include leather driving gloves, sunglasses, cashmere scarves, caps and, of course, the Bentley teddy bears.
Perhaps most impressive is the marque’s collaboration with Ducati to create the Ducati Diavel for Bentley motorcycle in 2023. The collaboration resulted in a numbered series limited to 500 examples, with an additional 50 Ducati Diavel for Bentley Mulliner motorbikes reserved for Bentley customers.
For those wishing to own a piece of history, the Bentley Blower Jnr — crafted in association with Hedley Studios (formerly the Little Car Company) — is an 85% scale road-legal interpretation of the legendary 1929 Bentley Blower race car, powered by a fully-electric 48-volt powertrain.
Soon to complete the full brand immersion for devoted fans is the Bentley Residences Miami — the first residential development to bear the Bentley name. Following in the footsteps of the likes of Aston Martin, whose Miami residences opened in May 2024, the 61-storey Bentley Residences will be the tallest residential building on any US beachfront, housing 216 residences, each enjoying uninterrupted views of the Atlantic Ocean and waterways around Sunny Isles Beach.
Scheduled for completion in early 2028, the residences are a collaboration between Bentley, Sieger Suarez Architects and Dezer Development. Each home will benefit from an in-unit multi-car garage area for up to four vehicles per apartment – served by a patented car elevator at the core of the cylindrical building that allows residents to drive directly into their home — driving brand immersion further than ever before.
Images: Mark Cocksedge