The Bentley Boys are the stuff of legend, but the luxury brand is using International Women’s Day to honor the lesser known Bentley Girls. As part of this effort, they’ve created three bespoke Bentaygas that pay tribute to Mary Petre Bruce, Dorothy Paget, and Diana Barnato Walker.
The first is a Bentayga Azure, which draws inspiration from the 4½ Litre Bentley that Mary Petre Bruce drove for 24 hours in 1929 to set a new world record for “single-handed driving” with an average speed of more than 89 mph (143 km/h). The brand said she traveled more than 2,164 miles (3,483 km) and had to borrow cushions so her feet could reach the pedals.
Bruce set a number of other records after that – including becoming the first woman to circumnavigate the globe alone – but the Bentayga honors her car by featuring a Parson Green Pearlescent exterior and a matching heritage hide. Speaking of the interior, it sports a Mother of Pearl cross-banded veneer, 24-karat gold organ stops, and vertical fluted quilting on the upper seats and doors. The model also has the Blackline Specification, a chequered flag badge on the D-pillar, and a reference to the “YV 7263” number plate used on the 4½ Litre car.
Dorothy Paget is being honored for her help in creating the 4½ Litre Supercharged, which is better known as the Blower Bentley. As the company explained, she fell in love with speed after a visit to the Brooklands circuit and this resulted in her sponsoring a race team of four supercharged Bentleys.
More: 2024 Bentley Bentayga Loses W12 But Gains Driver Aids, More Luxury And New Model ‘A’
To honor her, the company created a Bentayga Extended Wheelbase Mulliner with a Blower Green exterior as well as a two-tone Cumbrian and Blower Green interior. Other special touches include engine spun aluminum trim, painted nickel veneer carriers, and nickel painted self-leveling wheel accent bezels.
The third and final special edition pays tribute to Diana Barnato, who is described as “Bentley’s Flying Lady.” She drove a 4¼ Litre Park Ward saloon and joined the Air Transport Auxiliary during World War II to help deliver planes to the front line. By the end of the war, she had delivered 260 Spitfires as well as numerous other aircraft.
She’s being honored by a Bentayga S, which has a green and saddle interior “referencing the Spitfire Mk9’s cockpit.” The crossover also has a Smoke Green exterior, a Spitfire badge, and Signal Yellow accents that recall the paint used on the leading edge of the Spitfire’s wing.
