Bentley marks Pride with one-of-a-kind rainbow Continental GT Convertible
Crewe-based luxury car manufacturer creates one-off to celebrate partnership with Cheshire East’s Virtual Pride.
By Will Stroude
Following on from its support of the much-lauded ‘Speaking of Pride’ video series that formed a key part of Attitude’s Pride at Home digital festival last month, Bentley Motors is partnering with Cheshire East Council for the North West of England’s first virtual Pride event, which takes place on Saturday 25 July.
To mark the occasion, a Bentley Continental GT V8 Convertible has been wrapped in a rainbow design showcasing six of Bentley’s bespoke paint colours. The car will feature during the online Pride event which can be watched anywhere in the world.
Bentley’s Head of People, Dr. Astrid Fontaine, explains: “We embraced the opportunity to create our first rainbow car for the LGBTQ+ community. As Bentley steps up its emphasis on the importance of diversity and inclusion, we’re delighted to be sponsoring Cheshire East’s virtual pride celebrations – and think our rainbow Bentley captures the essence perfectly.
“The design of the car was inspired by a concept submitted in a competition we held during lockdown for colleagues and their families to co-create a Bentley that captured the moment. The stand-out winner was Eleanor, age 15.”
To successfully wrap the car, Bentley’s in-house designers turned the competition winner into reality on a Continental GT Convertible. This unique V8 model will take pride of place in the manufacturer’s Crewe showroom for the coming month.
Maria Mulder, Head of Colour and Trim at Bentley, says the rainbow-wrapped car conveys a feeling of emotional well-being, human connection and wonder.
“Who doesn’t love a rainbow?” she asks. “It’s uplifting to see appearing in the sky above a dark cloud and it brings a feeling of hope. Our rainbow-wrapped car shows the way we use metallic pigments to create an effect which shows up the lines of the Continental GT Convertible, while the high gloss surface reflects the environment around it.”
The bespoke Bentley colours employed to inspire the wrapped model mirror those of the rainbows seen in the natural world: Dragon Red; Orange Flame; Yellow Flame; Apple Green; Sequin Blue and Azure Purple.
Cheshire East’s Virtual Pride 2020 will take place on Saturday 25 July from 2pm to 7pm BST and will feature an eclectic mix of interviews, music, competitions and performances in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
The rainbow Continental GT V8 Convertible will feature by video during the virtual event, alongside interviews with Bentley colleagues who are supporting the Pride experience. Join the event at prideinthepark.com.