Home » News » Bentley » Bentleys of the Future

Bentleys of the Future

A number of young students from London’s Royal College of Art have created together with the British automaker, a number of design studies under the motto 'Bentleys of the Future'.

Out of 18 students that spent the last couple of months paying close attention to how Bentley’s leading designers work, 4 of the them were chosen to refine their designs with Raul Piere, the man who had a big influence on how the new Bentley Mulsanne looks like.

The students that get to create the best two cars in this 'Bentleys of the Future' design challenge will be invited to join the Crewe-based company for a six month secondment in the Bentley design studio.

Also a key part in the 'Bentleys of the Future' project has been the ability to combine strong

visual design with the latest automotive software and photos with the best 4 concept studies available after the jump.

Bentley press release :

(Crewe, England. 1 February, 2010) Some of the world’s best young designers from London’s Royal College of Art (RCA) have created a series of remarkable ‘Bentleys of the Future’ designs in a unique partnership with the famous British company. 

Eighteen Vehicle Design Course Masters students have spent the last few months studying the work of Bentley’s leading designers, including Head of Exterior Design Raul Pires who played a key role designing the company’s new Mulsanne flagship. Drawing on Bentley’s proud design heritage. they

have sought to develop a range of striking and futuristic car designs.

Now four of the RCA students have been shortlisted to refine their designs with Pires and his colleagues with a winner and runner-up both being invited to join the Crewe-based company for a six month secondment in the Bentley design studio. Professor Dale Harrow, Head of Vehicle Design at the RCA explained:

“Working with Bentley has inspired these young designers to create a coupe for the 21st Century that embraces the latest aerodynamics technology. The Vehicle Design Course attracts postgraduate students from across the world and it has been fascinating to see them make a connection with a British marque that has such a distinguished heritage.”

A key part of the project has been the ability to combine strong visual design with the latest automotive software. Each car design has undergone extensive testing in a virtual wind tunnel to assess and enhance its aerodynamic capabilities. Professor Harrow added:

“We’ve had invaluable support from Exa and their PowerFLOW software which was used to create cars like the Bentley Continental Supersports. The students realise the importance of optimising the aerodynamic qualities of their designs and Exa’s technology allows each car to evolve constantly. Crucially, our young team has been working with top designers like Raul, learning how to combine great creativity with sound engineering solutions.”

Raul Pires said the overall standard was extremely high and this convinced Bentley to add an extra place to the shortlist. Pires said:

“The RCA has an eviable reputation for attracting some of the best young design talent, with many of their graduates going on to work for the world’s leading car manufacturers. The outstanding quality of work meant we have offered an extra place.

“These four finalists have captured the essence of our brand, recognising what makes a Bentley instantly recognisable on the road. Just as importantly, they’ve embraced Exa’s leading-edge technology and grasped that excellent design should always seek to enhance a car’s handling and performance, as well as optimising its environmental credentials.”

During the next few days the four designers will be working flat-out with their course tutors and EXA’s analysts to refine their work before meeting with Raul Pires and Bentley’s design chief Dirk van Braeckel for the final review.

The four Bentley/Exa finalists are Bora Kim, David Seesing, Marten Wallgren and Mikka Heikkinen. Bora (26) from South Korea has created a Bentley which enables the owner to easily select their preferred engine for any given journey whilst Sweden’s Marten (27) has created a futuristic version of the Bentley Continental GT.

David Seesing (26) from Cologne in Germany hopes to be the third generation of his family to work in the motor industry and has impressed Bentley with his ability to combine radical design with impressive aerodynamics.

Completing the line-up is Finland’s Mikka Heikkinen (26) who has created a high-performance Bentley and used his industrial design training to create a powerful, visually impactful concept vehicle.

Christine Gaskell, Member of the Board for Personnel at Bentley Motors, who has been following the project closely said:

“Bentley Motors has long-established apprentice and graduate schemes and we are always seeking to find new ways to encourage and support people who want to work in the motor industry. We look forward to welcoming some of the Royal College’s brightest and best to our design team later this year.”

Tools
Add this page to your online bookmark site:

Related Articles

Leave a Comment

Fields marked with * are required
Name *:
Email *:
Comment *:
Code *:
  CAPTCHA

Related Specs

  1. 2005 Bentley Arnage Blue Train Series

    Engine: Turbocharged V8, Power: 335.6 kw / 450 bhp, Torque: 874.5 nm / 645 ft lbs
  2. 2001 Bentley Arnage Red Label LWB Personal Commission

    Engine: V8, Power: 298.3 kw / 400.0 bhp @ 4000 rpm, Torque: 835.18 nm / 616.0 ft lbs @ 2100 rpm
  3. 1998 Bentley Brooklands R

    Engine: Turbocharged V8, Power: 223.7 kw / 300.0 bhp @ 4000 rpm, Torque: 605 nm / 446.2 ft lbs @ 2000 rpm
  4. 2005 Bentley Continental Flying Spur

    Engine: Aluminum W12, Power: 411.6 kw / 552 bhp @ 6100 rpm, Torque: 650 nm / 479.4 ft lbs @ 1600 rpm
  5. 2009 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed

    Engine: W12, Power: 447.4 kw / 600 bhp @ 6000 rpm, Torque: 749.8 nm / 553 ft lbs @ 1750 rpm

New Vehicles

2010 Audi TT RS roadster and coupe
Audi's second debut today at Geneva is the 2010 Audi TT RS Roadster with the German car maker releasing photos and details of its coupe version as well. ...

Concept Cars

Hyundai Blue Will Concept
Waiting to be revealed at Seoul's Auto Show this year, the Hyundai Blue Will concept was introduced by the South Korean car manufacturer today while few ...

Custom Cars

Carlsson Mercedes E Class Coupe
German tuner Carlsson presents a new kit available for the Mercedes E Class Coupe, and so far performance figures were left untouched. The Carlsson Mercedes ...

Green Autos

Renault-Nissan Zero Emission Vehicle Partnership
The Renault-Nissan alliance announced their future plans to produce Zero Emission Vehicles badged by Nissan in United States in 2010. Also part of the ...

Future Cars

Honda CR-Z Concept closer to production
Honda has announced today its vehicle lineup that will be showcased at this year's 41st edition Tokyo Motor Show. One of the them is the Honda CR-Z Concept ...

Market News

2010 Toyota Prius price
Toyota announced the price for the 2010 Prius today also mentioning that sales will start at the end of May this year. The 2010 Toyota Prius is powered ...

Gadgets

Aston Martin DB9 gets Bang and Olufsen sound system
The British manufacturer announced that their DB9 model will feature the bespoke BeoSound DB9 audio system developed exclusively by Bang & Olufsen as ...

Various News

Opel Insignia design award
Opel just announced that it has won the prestigious "red dot" award for product design with its Insignia model. The red dot design prize is one of the ...

Videos

Stile Bertone Mantide aka Project M
The Stile Bertone Mantide aka Project M showcased at Shanghai's Motor Show was revealed in a few more images released by the Italian design company today ...