Bentley looks to the future of GT cars.
Bentley has spent 100 years learning how to build motors that make people feel something special about travel, and for its centenary celebration the company didn’t bother looking backward at all. Instead, Adrian Hallmark and his team unveiled the Bentley EXP 100 GT at the Monterey Car Week festivities in August 2019 as a statement of intent about what luxury grand touring could become by 2035 — and why that future arrives with zero emissions, full intelligence, and none of the compromises most people assume come with going electric.
This isn’t a concept built to generate headlines through outrageous styling or unattainable performance numbers. It’s deliberately more ambitious than that: a fully realised vision of the Bentley grand tourer twenty-one years from now, designed to prove that sustainability and genuine driving pleasure sit comfortably in the same garage. Zero-emissions powertrain with serious range. A cabin that adapts to you whether you’re behind the wheel or enjoying the ride. Technology that anticipates needs rather than demanding interaction. And a level of craftsmanship that still matters even when the steering wheel can drive itself.
The proportions speak first — classic Bentley, unmistakably so. That sweeping R-Type Continental haunch at the rear sits on a body 5.8 metres long and almost 2.4 metres wide, built from aluminium and carbon fibre with a stance that says authority rather than aggression. The headlights overlap the grille in direct reference to the famous Blower racers of the 1930s, though here they sit inside a luminous matrix system that greets you as you approach. The Flying B mascot wakes up with the grille, sending light along the bonnet spine into the cabin. The car literally comes alive before you even reach the door handle.
Those doors measure two metres across and pivot outward and upward — no awkward contortions required. The paint job deserves special mention because it represents exactly the kind of quiet innovation Bentley is pursuing. Called Colourstream, it uses a pigment derived from rice husk ash, a waste product that would otherwise go to landfill. Under certain lighting angles the surface shifts through autumnal tones, proving that sustainable chemistry doesn’t have to mean boring finishes.
“Today, on our Centenary, we demonstrate our vision of the future of our Marque, with the Bentley EXP 100 GT — a modern and definitive Grand Tourer Car designed to demonstrate that the future of luxury mobility is as inspirational and aspirational as the last 100 years.” — Adrian Hallmark, Bentley Chairman and CEO
That’s the thesis the entire concept rests on.
Step inside and the emphasis on natural, traceable materials becomes even more pronounced. Wood, leather, glass — these aren’t decorative choices, they’re deliberate reconnections with the physical world. Joins between surfaces happen seamlessly, reinforced by embroidery techniques from Hand and Lock, the London house that’s been stitching Royal and Military Dress uniforms since 1767. Their patterns integrate different materials across door panels rather than trying to hide the transitions.
Light itself is harvested. A glass roof feeds through prisms and fibre optics, pulling sunlight into the cabin where it blends with synthetic ambient illumination controlled through an illuminated Cumbria Crystal centrepiece. That crystal is England’s last completely hand-blown and hand-cut crystal producer, and here it serves as both touch interface and mood regulator for what Bentley calls the Personal Assistant — an AI system that governs five distinct experience modes.
Enhance pulls environmental data from outside — light, sound, air quality — creating what feels like open-top motoring under a fixed glass canopy. Cocoon purifies and shields, turning glass opaque for privacy while filtering pollutants. Capture records the journey, weaving internal and external data into your car’s unique history. Re-Live replays highlights. Customise gives complete control. You steer through these modes using gestures toward either the front or rear crystal interfaces — no screens fumbling required.
The seating technology runs deeper than typical adjustability. Adaptable Biometric Seating embeds sensors that track temperature, blood pressure, head and eye position — responding dynamically during drives by altering surface firmness where support is needed. In autonomous mode, rear seats swivel backward while the steering wheel retreats entirely. The car becomes a lounge rather than a cockpit.
Air management takes equal priority. The boot houses an air purification system feeding through deployable vents on the rear shelf and static channels on the passenger panel. These vents undulate in a way that makes the dashboard appear alive and breathing. CO2 levels stay continuously monitored. For scent, Bentley partnered with an ethical fragrance house to create something incorporating sandalwood and fresh moss — designed to reinforce wellbeing rather than simply masking odours. Rotary switches fashioned from copper and aluminium give physical presence to controls in an otherwise digital environment.
Inside displays serve grand touring, not distraction. Transparent OLED panels sit within the doors, auto-darkening glass controls external visibility, and a front entertainment screen activates only in autonomous mode for film or live video. Augmented reality overlays appear when navigating or approaching interesting destinations. Everything defaults to simplicity; complexity exists beneath the surface, triggered only when needed.
Materials sourcing tells one of the strongest stories here. Copper Infused Riverwood comes from naturally fallen trees preserved for 5,000 years in British peat bogs, lakes and rivers, sourced through The Fenland Black Oak Project. Bridge of Weir Leather of Scotland provides hides tanned using environmentally conscious methods for the Super Natural finish Bentley intends to carry forward. Even the bio-based seat material derives from wine-making by-products — 100% plant-derived leather equivalent created in collaboration with specialist partners. Nothing here is theoretical; every supplier relationship represents existing capability scaled to bespoke standards.
Performance figures arrive as evidence that sustainability doesn’t require sacrifice. Four electric motors deliver 1,500 Nm of maximum torque through Next Generation Traction Drive, which applies torque vectoring independently at each wheel. Bentley claims this configuration adds 50% more effective cornering power while reducing drivetrain mass by 35%. The result: 0-100 km/h in under 2.5 seconds, a top speed of 300 kph (186 mph), and a total vehicle weight locked at 1,900 kg.
Five times the energy density of conventional batteries at the time powers a claimed range of 700 km (435 miles). Charging to 80% capacity takes approximately 15 minutes, managed automatically by the Personal Assistant based on route data, available infrastructure, and passenger comfort requirements. Active Aero Wheels adjust shape on the fly for efficiency or performance aesthetics. Intelligent Pirelli Tyres modify contact patches depending on weather and driver input. Nothing stays static when the driving conditions shift.
The autonomous capability remains optional rather than mandatory — true to Bentley philosophy that the owner always decides who drives. When you want to drive, the car sharpens. Steering response tightens, active aero locks into performance configuration, tire compounds maximise grip, and the AI limits itself to navigation aid and commentary. Cross mountain roads and the EXP 100 GT behaves exactly like a driver-focused grand tourer should.
Remove yourself from the equation and everything transforms. Journey suggestions appear based on mood and time. Nearby luxury experiences pop up through World Class Services. The car curates points of interest rather than forcing them onto a screen. Passenger well-being dictates cabin temperature, lighting intensity, and even the selection of background sounds curated from the local environment during Capture mode.
A cartridge delivery system tucked into the central console handles practical luxuries — purified water served from a crystal decanter with matching glasses stored under the bonnet area and delivered directly into the cabin. Not speculative fantasy; a mechanically elegant solution that preserves interior surfaces and eliminates the need for cluttered storage compartments.
Child passengers receive unusual attention. Pull down a gesture near the crystal interface while observing clouds outside, and the AI identifies the object and generates age-appropriate educational content displayed within the cabin. Joint learning moments replace passive entertainment.
What distinguishes the EXP 100 GT from most concept cars is restraint. There are no radical angles meant to photograph dramatically for social media. No impossible acceleration numbers designed solely for press release impact. Instead, there’s a coherent philosophy applied uniformly across aerodynamics, materials science, human-machine interaction, and electrified propulsion. Every decision traces back to a single question: does this enhance the grand tour?
For Bentley at its centenary, that question carries historical weight. The company founded in 1919 by W.O. Bentley chose alloy pistons for BR1 World War I aero engines partly because wartime brass shortages forced him to innovate. Those same principles — practical elegance over ostentation, material honesty over surface decoration, engineering solving real problems — thread through this concept unchanged, merely translated for a different century.
The EXP 100 GT won’t enter production as shown. But its architecture, its approach to sustainable luxury, its integration of AI that enhances rather than distracts, and its willingness to treat electricity as an enabler of better driving rather than a substitute for it represent a direction that many observers at Monterey Car Week 2019 believe genuinely foreshadows where premium grand touring heads next.
Whether driven manually across winding coastal roads or piloted autonomously through exhausted urban stretches, the underlying premise remains: the journey itself should enrich everyone aboard. If 2035 looks anything like this, Bentley’s second century will have earned the anticipation.
Vehicle data
| Field | Value |
| Make | Bentley |
| Model | EXP 100 GT |
| Generation / chassis code | Concept car (centenary showcase) |
| Model year(s) covered | 2019 |
| Body style | Grand Tourer concept |
| Powertrain / engine | All-electric battery-electric, four independent wheel motors |
| Power / torque | Not stated in sources; max torque 1,500 Nm |
| Transmission | Direct-drive (no traditional gearbox) |
| Drivetrain | All-wheel drive with torque vectoring (Next Generation Traction Drive) |
| Key performance figures | 0-100 km/h (0-60 mph): under 2.5 seconds; top speed: 300 kph (186 mph); range: 700 km (435 miles); charging to 80%: ~15 minutes |
| Price (as stated) | Not stated in sources (concept car, not for sale) |
| On-sale / announcement period | Unveiled August 2019 at Monterey Car Week / Pebble Beach |
| Market | Global concept showcase |