Bentley Mulliner has revealed the exclusive Bacalar, which has a dashboard cut from 5,000-year-old wood.
Just 12 examples of the two-seater will be handcrafted in Crewe, Cheshire, reviving the specialism in providing coach-built cars to select customers.
The wraparound dashboard is cut from Riverwood, a sustainable wood from naturally fallen trees that has been preserved for 5,000 years in peat bogs, lakes and rivers in the Fenlands of East Anglia.
The wood has been chosen for its black aesthetic and is air-dried in a controlled environment over a long period of time to prevent damage and conserve its characteristics.
Once veneered, the dashboard is sliced in two, creating an upper and lower element divided by a 3mm chrome strip.
The upper piece is finished as open pore and the lower panels are a high gloss finish with a modern twist to the traditional process, blending seamlessly from veneer into gloss.
Bentley Mulliner has collaborated with a British textile mill to produce natural wool cloth similar to a fine suit.
The textile is used in the seat inserts, seatbacks and the side of the head restraints.
Luxury overmats are woven on traditional Wilton looms, with pure wool deep pile carpets being hand-carved for the footwell and rear luggage compartment.
Working with a supplier in the Peak District, the Bacalar offers customers the opportunity to create individual artisan piping to enhance styling lines of the seat architecture.
