This One-Of-18 Bentley Batur Has 3D-Printed Rose Gold Trim Made From Recycled Jewelry
When you get to the level of cars like the coachbuilt Bentley Batur, of which only 18 will be made at a starting price of around $2 million each, the world is your oyster when it comes to choosing your car's spec. Anything you can dream up, Bentley can do, as long as it's physically possible and your pockets are deep enough. The brand's Mulliner customization division has exploded in popularity in recent years, especially with cars like the Batur and Bacalar, and Bentley offers all sorts of interesting trim options like modern textiles, aerospace-grade titanium and real stone veneers.
One Batur customer decided to really go for it with their spec, commissioning what has been named "The Black Rose" Batur. Not only is this Batur finished in a color that was created just for this customer, it features the automotive world's first application of 3D-printed rose gold components on the interior. The result is a really spectacular, intriguing spec that's vastly more interesting than if this Batur had more traditional chrome accents or black and carbon-fiber trim.
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The bespoke color is called Black Rose — hence the name of the car — and while it might look like a black or deep brown at first glance, it has a ton of depth and metallic sparkle to it, with flecks of orange, red, and, of course, gold. The upper body and roof of the car is painted in gloss Beluga black. All of the exterior brightwork is finished in satin Rose Gold paint, from the grille details and bumper intakes to the side skirts, rear diffuser, mirror caps, wheels and the "endless bonnet line" trim that runs along the window line down to the tip of the nose.
Though none of these trim bits are made from actual rose gold, they do all look fabulous. I especially like the painted intakes, which have grille mesh that's also painted to match. That's not always something that works (go look at photos of a C8 Corvette with painted intakes), but here I think it does. Maybe that's just because the Batur is already a great-looking car, or because rose gold is a great color? Either way, I'm into it.
The actual gold is found on the inside. Back in 2022 Bentley invested nearly $4 million to double its capacity for Additive Manufacturing 3D printing, which was first introduced on the Batur with components made from traditional 18-karat gold. For the Black Rose Batur, the customer of course wanted to use rose gold instead, for parts like the drive mode dial, climate control organ stops, and steering wheel trim. 210 grams of 18-karat rose gold was used, and 100 percent of the raw materials were sourced from recycled jewelry.
Bentley collaborated with goldsmiths Cooksongold for the manufacturing processes, materials and finishing techniques, and all the parts were hallmarked in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter "as a sign of having solid material authenticity." Components that were manufactured in 2022 also get a special Jubilee hallmark to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee year.
Beyond the real rose gold pieces, the Black Rose's cabin is more subdued but very classy. There's a mix of Beluga leather and charcoal grey tweed fabric that's accented by rose gold stitching, and there are additional trim pieces that are painted satin Rose Gold to match the exterior bits. Instead of wood, aluminum or another standard veneer offering spanning the dashboard, the customer instead chose to have the panel painted in the Black Rose hue to match the exterior, which adds a ton of sparkle and depth to the interior.
Bentley says this Batur is one of only three that will be right-hand drive, but there's no word on who ordered it or what country it will call home. In addition to the 18 Batur coupes, Bentley will also be building 16 Batur convertibles; these 34 coachbuilt cars will be the final Bentleys to use the now-discontinued W12 engine, which in the Batur makes 740 horsepower, its highest output ever.
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