Bentley unveils one-off Continental GT art car

Bentley has unveiled a one-off version of its Continental GT W12 painted by renowned Icelandic artist Katrin Fridriks. 

Created as a collaboration between London’s JD Malat Gallery and Bentley’s Jack Barclay dealership, the car wears a custom livery inspired by Fridriks’ show, Speed of Light – Commander. 

The car’s paintwork is primarily black, but Fridriks’ addition of a swirling grey pattern is said to imbue “the car with a sense of speed and motion, even at rest”. 

In her wider Speed of Light – Commander show, Fridriks adopts speed as a central motif, focusing more particularly on the speed of light. 

Fridriks said: “I’m so excited about working in partnership with Jack Barclay Bentley to create this unique, automotive artwork.

“It’s the perfect marriage of the cornerstones of my art – capturing speed and energy, design, craftsmanship, precision and a strive for excellence.”

The model pictured here is a show car, but Bentley will make one Fridriks art car available for sale, with the buyer able to specify their preferred trim. Pricing is available on application, and expected to be well in excess of the standard W12’s £159,000 starting price. 

The one-off has been signed by the artist, and will be on display at Jack Barclay Bentley in Mayfair, London, until 7 October, alongside a collection of her other works. It will then travel to the nearby JD Malat Gallery to be shown at a number of special events. 

The Continental artwork is the latest in a series of limited-run and one-off models unveiled by Bentley this year. As part of the firm’s 100th anniversary celebrations, it has launched special editions of its Bentayga, Continental, Flying Spur and Mulsanne models, as well as reviving its iconic Blower and Corniche classic sports cars.

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