BENTLEY has marked its centenary with the unveiling of the EXP 100 GT - a car it describes as its vision of the future of luxury motoring.
Fully electric and totally autonomous, Bentley says the EXP 100 GT is a concept with a zero emission range of more than 400 miles on a single charge.
The Crewe-based car manufacturer says the car's presence and exterior proportions are reminiscent of many of Bentley's historic Grand Tourers but take those luxury hallmarks into the future.
Adrian Hallmark, Bentley's chairman, said: "Bentley has, and will continue to enhance and enrich every single journey and the lives of every single person who travels in, or has the honour to be a part of creating our extraordinary products."
And design director Stefan Sielaff added: "The Bentley EXP 100 GT represents the kind of cars we want to make in the future. Like those iconic Bentleys of the past, this car connects with its passengers' emotions and helps them experience and safeguard the memories of the really extraordinary journeys they take."
Made from lightweight aluminium and carbon fibre, the Bentley EXP 100 GT measures 5.8 metres long and almost 2.4 metres wide.
The driver and passenger doors are two metres wide and pivot outwards and upwards for easy access. Fully open, they rise to almost three metres which Bentley says adds to the sense of occasion on arrival.
Trim elements include decorative features made from copper and aluminium which evoke founder W.O Bentley's choice of materials to create the alloy for his famous BR1 Aero engine piston that played a major role in securing the air theatre in the First World War.
The concept also features adaptable biometric seating can be configured in three different ways, depending on whether the owner is driving or using autonomous mode and include sensors monitor temperature, passenger position and environmental conditions.
The Bentley EXP 100 GT has passive and active air intakes in the front grille, cooling the drivetrain and batteries that drive the car's powerful electric motors. Unwanted air is channelled out of the car at the rear to aid aerodynamics.
The car's battery system will power four motors that offer a 0 to 60 time of less than 2.5 seconds, a top speed of 186mph and maximum torque of 1,500 Nm.
Future battery technology will offer five times the conventional energy density and charging the Bentley EXP 100 GT to 80 per cent of capacity will take only 15 minutes. Weight is said to be 1,900 kg and a range of 435 miles will be possible.
Bentley says the EXP 100 GT can be driven autonomously when required or the system can be disengaged when required to 'maximise driving exhilaration'.