Bentley Mulsanne W.O. Edition by Mulliner

The Mulsanne W.O. Edition by Mulliner commemorates Bentley’s founder ahead of the company’s 2019 centenary. Announced in July 2018, the 100-car programme was available across the Mulsanne range. Its most distinctive detail is a small piece of the original crankshaft from W.O. Bentley’s own 1930 8 Litre, presented within the cabin’s handcrafted treatment.

Bentley Mulsanne W.O. Edition by Mulliner at a glance

A tribute to W.O. Bentley

The W.O. Edition is built around the founder’s personal connection with the 8 Litre and Bentley’s approaching centenary. The commemorative subject is therefore more specific than a general luxury specification. It ties the modern Mulsanne to a named historical car and an identifiable piece of its original engineering. For an archive, this makes the edition a useful link between the company’s early history and its later flagship saloon. The profile should keep that relationship visible while describing the modern car as its own model, with a contemporary body and drivetrain rather than as a mechanical continuation of the 1930 vehicle.

Announced in 2018 for the centenary period

Bentley introduced the W.O. Edition in July 2018, ahead of the company’s 2019 centenary, with customer deliveries scheduled for 2019. The article therefore uses 2018 as the announcement reference and explains the following year’s commemorative context. This avoids treating a launch date and the anniversary date as competing answers. For an individual example, build and delivery records can establish its own chronology. The distinction is useful in searches because both years appear naturally in the edition’s history. Keeping them attached to the appropriate events makes the profile easier to understand and the archive easier to maintain.

One 100-car programme across the Mulsanne range

The manufacturer release limits the programme to 100 and makes it available across the Mulsanne range, including the standard car, Speed and Extended Wheelbase. The limit is shared across the programme, not repeated as 100 for each derivative. This profile stores the number as an announced edition ceiling and does not claim a completed individual-car census. Derivative identity still matters for a particular vehicle because it affects dimensions, equipment and mechanical specification. A good record therefore states both the W.O. Edition membership and the underlying Mulsanne version, preserving the distinction between a commemorative programme and the models through which it was offered.

The original crankshaft fragment

The edition incorporates a small slice from the original crankshaft of W.O. Bentley’s personal 1930 8 Litre. Bentley’s account explains that the old component had been replaced during restoration before being used for the commemorative programme. The fragment is therefore a retained historical part, not a piece taken from the currently working crankshaft of the Heritage car for each new vehicle. This distinction gives the object a clearer provenance. Its presentation in the modern cabin links the original engineering with a later commissioned saloon, but it does not make the two vehicles mechanically interchangeable or imply the fragment has an operating role.

Marquetry and a visible historical connection

Bentley describes the cabin treatment around the crankshaft piece through marquetry and the rear cocktail-cabinet or bottle-cooler setting. The arrangement turns a small engineering fragment into something passengers can see and understand. Interior photographs should therefore include the display and its surrounding woodwork, not only the front seats. The material is part of the edition’s historical narrative as well as its decorative treatment. An archive caption can explain the relationship without relying on a large photograph of the old 8 Litre alone. The modern car’s cabin is where the founder tribute becomes a physical feature of the customer vehicle.

Colour and material choices retain their scope

The launch presentation includes Onyx paint and a cabin treatment using Fireglow and Beluga references with Dark Stain Burr Walnut. The release also allows other available colours, so the displayed exterior combination is not compulsory for every W.O. Edition. Chrome grille treatment is likewise described as an option. A car’s own factory order record remains the best guide to its completed configuration. The profile preserves these distinctions so that genuine examples with different choices are not excluded by an overly narrow visual checklist. Commemorative identity and individual specification work together, but neither should erase the other.

The modern W.O. car beside the historic 8 Litre

The official studio photograph shows the W.O. Edition Mulsanne together with W.O. Bentley’s 8 Litre. Both subjects belong to the edition’s manufacturer presentation, and the caption identifies the modern commemorative car clearly. The historic car supplies context for the founder connection rather than standing in for the modern model. Bentley Newsroom provides the image for editorial reproduction under its published terms, which remain attached to the credit. The photograph is particularly useful because it illustrates the edition’s premise in one view: a contemporary flagship placed beside the individual historical vehicle that inspired its most distinctive cabin detail.

Its place among Bentley commemorative editions

The W.O. Edition differs from a farewell edition such as Arnage Final Series and a manufacturing anniversary programme such as Continental GT Diamond Series. Its central subject is the founder and the physical connection with his own car. It also contrasts with the State Limousine’s royal commission, whose limited population comes from a different purpose entirely. These connections give readers a useful way to explore the archive. The modern W.O. Edition’s importance lies in a defined commemorative programme, a clearly described historical component and a specification that allowed individual customer choices within the Mulsanne range.

Frequently asked questions

When was the W.O. Edition announced?

In July 2018, ahead of the 2019 Bentley centenary and planned customer deliveries that year.

Were there 100 of each Mulsanne version?

No. The announced 100-car programme covered the available Mulsanne derivatives collectively.

Where did the crankshaft piece come from?

It came from the original crankshaft of W.O. Bentley’s 1930 8 Litre, a component replaced during restoration.

Did every W.O. Edition have Onyx paint?

No. Onyx was used in the launch presentation, while other available colours could be specified.

Explore related vehicle profiles

• Bentley State Limousine
• Bentley Arnage Final Series
• Bentley Continental GT Diamond Series

Sources

• Bentley — Mulsanne W.O. Edition launch, July 2018
• Bentley Heritage Collection — W.O. Bentley’s 1930 8 Litre GK 706
• Bentley — history of the modern Mulsanne

Facts are sourced to the linked manufacturer, institutional and specialist records. Design comparisons and documentation suggestions are editorial analysis. Announced limits and completed production populations are labelled separately.

Photography and credit

Bentley’s official launch photograph shows the modern Mulsanne W.O. Edition beside W.O. Bentley’s historic 8 Litre. The modern saloon is the subject of BEN-130; the vintage car provides the edition’s historical context. Photo: Bentley Motors / Bentley Newsroom · Editorial reproduction only. Resized and JPEG encoded without cropping or content changes. Bentley permits editorial reproduction only, excluding advertising, marketing and sales-related use. Copyright Bentley Motors; individual photographer not identified.