With the new Bentley Flying Spur comes the ultimate example of a handcrafted interior, presenting the world’s most sophisticated and luxuriously stitched cabin.
As all 350 unique leather pieces are adorned to 60 bespoke components using over three kilometers of thread to make up a complete Flying Spur interior, each passes through the hands of 141 Bentley craftspeople.
A minimum of five months training under Bentley’s Master Trainers is essential in order to reach the upmost levels of ability, and to learn the vast array of techniques required to craft Bentley’s interiors to the highest of standards.
All leather hides found in the interior of the Flying Spur remain sustainably sourced from Northern European bulls, entirely as by-products of the meat industry. More temperate climate zones ensure there are fewer parasites and the leather remains naturally blemish free.
Bentley customers have the luxury of choosing from as many as 14 interior leather hide colours, which can be complimented by a vast selection of 23 different colours of contrast thread.
The centre piece of the Flying Spur’s interior – its steering wheel – is home to some of the most elaborate hand-stitching and leatherwork to be found anywhere in the automotive industry. A cross-stitched steering wheel involves five meters of thread being precisely passed through 352 sew holes in order to achieve 168 distinctive cross stitches. A single steering wheel is stitched in three and a half hours by a skilled Bentley craftsperson, using a bespoke pair of needles and a motion too complicated to be replicated by machine.
With the use of five separate types of sewing machine, different thicknesses of thread are applied throughout the cabin, contributing to the overall level of complexity and detail underpinning the Flying Spur’s interior. For example, stitches around airbag components are delicately applied with a thinner thread to ensure safety remains a prime consideration.
Unmatched for comfort, the four seats of the new Flying Spur require a total of 12 hours to assemble by hand. The stand-out optional detail embellishing each seat’s headrest is the embroidered Bentley wings, comprised of 5,103 individual stitches.
The cabin is finished with three-dimensional diamond quilted leather door inserts – an automotive first, inspired by the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 design concept.
