2016 Bentley Mulsanne First Edition debuts in China

As if the recently-facelifted Bentley Mulsanne ever needed an injection of luxury, here is the car maker doing it anyway. Here is the new Bentley Mulsanne First Edition, making its global premiere at the Beijing International Auto Exhibition. Available for the flagship Mulsanne, Mulsanne Speed and the Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase, Bentley is limiting the number of First Edition models to just 50 examples.

Handcrafted in the car maker’s factory in Crewe, the First Edition package features a “Flying B” ornament with First Edition lettering on the hood. Inside, it adds a sterling silver vanity kit inlaid into the rear seat picnic table. The “luxuriously weighted” kit created by Asprey of London includes a mirror, a hair brush and a comb.

First Edition motifs are set throughout the cabin, along with a diametric overlay on the rear seat picnic tables, special tread plates and Union Jack-inspired First Edition embroidery on the seats. A champagne cooler can be specified, while Antique Ash veneer lend the Mulsanne and Mulsanne Speed its luxury.

For the range-topping Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase, the Antique Ash trim is swapped for a ripple-patterned Fulbeck veneer, sourced from a 350-year-old English walnut tree. Airline-style reclining seats are a given, with extending footrests and rear compartment sunroof. Ivory-coloured curtains are use to complement the rest of the interior’s colour scheme.

As before, a 6.75 litre twin-turbo V8 engine with cylinder deactivation and variable cam phasing is paired with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. In the Mulsanne and Extended Wheelbase version, the engine develops 505 hp and 1,020 Nm of torque. The Mulsanne Speed is more powerful than the other variants.

Featuring the same engine, the Mulsanne Speed has an increased 530 hp and 1,100 Nm of torque. It reaches 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and has a top speed of 305 km/h. The eight-speed gearbox has been revised to deliver torque more instantaneously. It also gets a rifled sports exhaust and a sport suspension.