“The real value, we believe, is in rarity and excellence in materials, sustainability in materials and excellence in craftsmanship,” Hallmark said.
Highlights from Mulliner’s past include the R-Type Continental from the early 1950s and the State Limousine for Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.
“Since that time, 20 years ago, the world has moved on,” Hallmark said, referring to the limousine. In the past, a vehicle costing over £100,000 — about $130,000 in today’s exchange — was measured as a rarity, he added.
“Now there’s lots of cars for a lot more money than £100,000,” he said. “And despite the fact we’ve got a 460-year-old coachbuilding brand, and heritage that’s as good as anybody in coachbuilding, we don’t have any cars in that category,” Hallmark said.
“We’re Bentley … and we’re missing out completely for two reasons. One, we’re not satisfying a need that is clearly out there. And two, we’re not satisfying the potential for us as a business that is clearly out there.”
