Two Flexjet bespoke luxury aircraft draw inspiration from Bentley Bacalar

MANILA: An aviation entrepreneur used his new Bentley Bacalar as inspiration while working with Mulliner Design to design two customized aircraft, which have now been added to the fleet of his private aviation firm, Flexjet.

Flexjet owner Kenn Ricci has been a Bentley customer for more than 10 years. After co-creating numerous cars with Bentley, he began to wonder how bespoke personalization may be used in his own business. As part of “The Bacalar Project,” Ricci has been collaborating with Mulliner's internal design team to develop two new aircraft that are modeled after his own Bentley Bacalar, one of the most coveted two-door Bentleys of the modern era.

The Bacalar, a series of 12 fully personalized vehicles that Mulliner's team of artisans is meticulously handcrafting in Crewe, represents Mulliner's return to coachbuilding. Flexjet's new Gulfstream G650 private jet and a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, both customized to fit the unique specifications of the Bacalar, showcase the same meticulous attention to detail and remarkable design.

The unique modification to the Flexjet livery in chameleon paint was inspired by the unique paint color option of Julep, picked by Ricci for his Bacalar. However, for this pair of aircraft, a silver-green chameleon paint has been applied to the key accents.

The custom seats in the Gulfstream G650 and in the Sikorsky S-76 were inspired by the copperhead shape and basket weave stitching on the Linen and Beluga leather-trimmed seats of the coachbuilt Bacalar.

The wood veneer species used in both aircraft were inspired by the 5,000-year-old recovered riverwood used to create the handcrafted Bacalar veneer. The cabins are decorated with satin Bacalar Bronze furnishings and diamond-carved carpet.

Flexjet provides personalized luxury travel experiences, but they are not the only company to appreciate the uniqueness that bespoke personalization can provide. Since 2020, an almost unprecedented increase in customers have been specifying Bentleys with specific Mulliner features. The number of Mulliner personal commissions, in which the Mulliner team brings a really unique vision to life, has tripled, and the demand for Mulliner special paint finishes has more than doubled.

The first and original Bacalar, the development car dubbed as Car Zero, was present to meet the Gulfstream G650 at Farnborough Airport in UK on Monday, prior to a journey to New York, USA while Ricci's vehicle is receiving its finishing touches. The S-76, on the other hand, made its public debut last August at The Quail, a part of Monterey Car Week.

The bespoke tri-color 22-inch wheels in dark grey satin with polished faces and Arctica highlights in Ricci's own Bacalar provide a monotone contrast to the vehicle's vivid exterior, which is painted in a rare Julep exterior paint. The center of the headlamps were color-matched to the Satin Bronze exterior brightware that can be seen on the waistrails and edging the Satin Carbon rear deck. The bonnet vents are also coated in satin carbon fiber and serve as a visual highlight. The side skirts, rear diffuser, and the “power humps” behind the front seats were also accentuated with satin carbon fiber. The rear of the car is finished off with exhaust finishers with matte black inners and Satin Bronze outside surfaces.

The interior design of Ricci's Bacalar is remarkably modern, including a white and black cabin and Bacalar bronze details. A dual veneer of open pore Riverwood over gloss black surrounds the occupants, sweeping from one side of the cabin to the other. Every panel and element of the interior was customized to Ricci's preferences, carefully combining leather and Alcantara in white, black, and bronze, gloss and satin metals in black, and dark tint and bright chrome finishes.

The top roll's form, the steering wheel's center line, and the headrest surround are all highlighted by the Bacalar Bronze leather. This continues with further stitching details in the oval perforated Beluga piping at the back of the seats and hand cross stitching along the door that follows the styling line around to the center console.

Photos from Bentley

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