Bentley’s Mulliner division creates barmy Bentayga Fly Fishing special model… no, really!
If you’re into fly fishing, good news: Bentley has done a lovely set of items for a ‘successful day on the river’. The problem is, you need to spend €340,000 importing a Bentayga SUV into the country just to enjoy such privilege.
The Bentley Bentayga Fly Fishing by Mulliner (no, we’re not making this up; it’s not April 1st, after all) is handcrafted by the British marque’s coachbuilding division. Within its sumptuous confines, you’ll find four fishing rods stored in special Saddle-leather tubes on the underside of the parcel shelf, a pair of landing nets in matching leather bags sequestered in a carpet-trimmed hard pocket built into the side of the boot, and three individual, Saddle-leather-trimmed units - a master tackle station (behave at the back of class!), a refreshment case and a waterproof wader’s stowage trunk.
Inside the master tackle unit is a Burr Walnut-veneered drawer (honestly, some other car makers would love to have Burr Walnut to use for more than just a fish crate) containing a fly-tying vice and tools, as well as a selection of cotton, hooks and feathers. Four aluminium reel cases, machined from solid aluminium, reside below this drawer.
If you think that’s grand stuff for a box, the refreshment case is trimmed in Linen leather, while it also has three metal flasks and a full set of fine china tableware by Mulliner. It’s topped with a quilted leather finish, and can be removed from the Bentayga entirely and used as impromptu seating if required.
We could go on about the Saddle-leather-wrapped wood trunk for the waders and boots, but all of this is making our heads spin. And surely, the last thing you’d want to be doing with this sort of exquisite stuff is covering it in fish guts and the stench of brackish, algae-ridden river water - surely?
Geoff Dowding, director of Mulliner and presumably a fly fisherman in his spare time, said: “The Bentayga Fly Fishing car showcases the breadth and level of detail a customer can expect from Mulliner. This is an individual bespoke solution and our skilled craftspeople can design elegant and exquisitely executed bespoke solutions to complement any customer lifestyle or hobby. Fly fishing is a sport that requires a variety of equipment and clothing, so it was essential to package the rods, reels, waders, boots and fly-tying station into the car in a luxurious, accessible and elegant way - and the end result is truly extraordinary.”
Geoff, it truly is. We’re gobsmacked.