Announced by Bentley on 3 March 2020, the Mulliner Bacalar is the first genuinely coachbuilt Bentley of the modern era — a two-seat, open-top, windscreenless barchetta built at Crewe by Mulliner in a limited run of twelve customer cars plus one factory-retained development car (source: Bentley Motors press release, 3 March 2020, 'Bacalar by Mulliner: the coachbuilt future of Bentley', bentleymotors.com; corroborated by Bentley media site press.bentleymotors.com and by contemporaneous coverage in Autocar, Top Gear and Motor Trend). Named after Laguna Bacalar on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and revealed in a Bentley-commissioned Geneva Motor Show reveal that ultimately took place virtually after the 2020 show was cancelled, the Bacalar was the reintroduction of the Mulliner name as a full coachbuilt sub-brand — the direct spiritual successor to the pre-war H.J. Mulliner and post-war Mulliner Park Ward coachbuilt cars that closed with the Continental S3.
Mechanically the Bacalar sits on the second-generation Continental GT Convertible platform (VW Group MSB) and is powered by Bentley's 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12, tuned in Bacalar specification to 650 bhp / 659 PS and 900 Nm of torque driving all four wheels through the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission (source: Bentley Motors press release, 3 March 2020; Autocar road-test coverage, 15 October 2021 'Bentley Bacalar 2021 review'; Top Gear 'Bentley Bacalar' review, 27 October 2021). No published Bentley figure exists for a 0–100 km/h time; Autocar reports 'in excess of 200 mph' as the manufacturer top speed and cites 0–60 mph in the region of 3.5 seconds — these performance figures are attributed to Autocar / later road-test coverage rather than the original 3 March 2020 launch release.
Production is confirmed at twelve customer cars plus 'Car Zero' — the retained factory development / prototype example finished in the launch 'Yellow Flame' scheme (source: Bentley Motors press release, 3 March 2020; Bentley Mulliner communications 2021–2022; contemporaneous coverage in Robb Report, 'Bentley Delivered its Last Mulliner Bacalar', 15 December 2022, and Motor Trend). One customer car was destroyed in a transportation incident before delivery — reported by Autoevolution and by multiple UK enthusiast outlets in early 2022; the loss was not replaced by Bentley, meaning the delivered customer pool sits below the announced twelve. Confirm the current delivered customer count against Bentley Mulliner's own communications and against the Bentley Drivers Club modern register.
The Bacalar is the reference point for the modern coachbuilt Bentley — the car that re-established Mulliner as a full coachbuilder rather than a bespoke-options department, and the direct forerunner of the Mulliner Batur (18 cars, 2022–2024) and the eventual Mulliner Batur Convertible. Three factors underwrite its permanent collector standing: (1) it is the first coachbuilt Bentley in modern series form and the twelve-car number will never be added to; (2) every car was individually specified by its commissioning owner in collaboration with Mulliner — no two Bacalars share a paint, trim or veneer specification, which mirrors the pre-war coachbuilt one-of-one culture at a modern price point; (3) as the last new W12 Mulliner coachbuilt car (the Batur is the transition to the next-generation powertrain), the Bacalar closes a specific chapter of Crewe's twelve-cylinder history that cannot be reopened. Original delivery pricing was reported at approximately £1.5 million net of taxes per Autocar and Top Gear coverage (approximately US$1.9 million equivalent at 2020–2021 delivery), and every announced allocation was pre-sold before the public reveal.
Variants
Range and production
Variant
Years
Production
Notes
Bentley Mulliner Bacalar — customer specification
2020–2022
12
The twelve customer cars, each individually specified by the commissioning owner in collaboration with Mulliner. Every car unique in exterior colour, interior trim, veneer specification and personalisation. Source: Bentley Motors press release 3 March 2020; Robb Report 'Bentley Delivered its Last Mulliner Bacalar' 15 December 2022.
'Car Zero' — factory-retained development / prototype
2020
1
The Bentley-retained development car in the launch 'Yellow Flame' specification (the car shown in the March 2020 reveal imagery — the yellow open-top pictured in this guide's hero image is the Car Zero / launch spec). Not part of the twelve customer allocation; retained by Bentley Motors as a heritage / press asset and shown at Bentley Mulliner events. Source: Bentley Motors press release 3 March 2020.
Buyer's Guide
What to look for
Provenance is the whole car — chassis one of twelve
A Bacalar transaction begins and ends with the Bentley Mulliner chassis number and the individual owner-commissioned Mulliner specification document, both of which must be presented and cross-referenced to Bentley Mulliner's own records before any acceptance of offer. Twelve cars exist as customer allocation, one 'Car Zero' is retained by Bentley Motors, and (per contemporaneous UK enthusiast-press reporting) at least one customer car has been reported destroyed in transport — confirm the current delivered and surviving count directly with Bentley Mulliner and the Bentley Drivers Club modern-Mulliner register before any transaction. The individual owner-commissioned specification (paint, hide, veneer, personalisation) is the primary determinant of value alongside condition and mileage — no two Bacalars can be treated as comparable in the way that two Continental GTs can be.
Delivered condition, mileage and use case
Every Bacalar is a low-mileage, event-and-showcase car — deliveries occurred between mid-2021 and December 2022, and the surviving customer cars are broadly held at delivery mileage in single- to low-triple-figure miles. Expect any offered example to present essentially as-delivered; a Bacalar with materially higher use will require Bentley Mulliner factory servicing history and a full body condition assessment focused on the exposed cabin (the car has no roof and no side windows in the conventional sense — the interior is designed to weather short exposures but is not a daily-usable open cabin).
Mechanical inspection priorities — 6.0-litre W12 and MSB platform
Mechanically the Bacalar is a Continental GT Convertible underneath — the twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 in its final-form Bacalar tune (650 bhp / 659 PS), the eight-speed ZF DCT and the MSB all-wheel-drive system are all understood, warranted and supported by the standing Bentley main-dealer network and by Bentley Mulliner directly. PPI priorities are the standard modern-Bentley set: cold-start behaviour and any turbo-related noise, transmission engagement quality, air-suspension corner heights and self-levelling, and complete Bentley main-dealer service history via the Bentley Mulliner factory service programme (the Bacalar service programme is factory-managed rather than routed through general Bentley dealers; verify all service events in the Bentley Mulliner service record).
Bodywork, coachbuilt panels and no-roof cabin considerations
Every exterior body panel on the Bacalar is unique to the model — a Continental GT panel does not fit. Any body damage requires Bentley Mulliner factory refurbishment (not a general Bentley main-dealer body-shop repair), and any accident history must be documented against a Bentley Mulliner-issued repair record before purchase. The roofless barchetta cabin is designed for short controlled exposure only — inspect the interior for any UV / weather damage to the hides, veneers and riverwood oak trim; a Bacalar that has been stored inappropriately or exposed at length is a material remedial-cost risk given the coachbuilt bespoke trim.
Ownership
Living with it
Typical mileage
100–1,000 miles typical — the Bacalar is an event / private-collection car and is used sparingly by design; expect concours attendance and Bentley Mulliner-hosted owner event use rather than open-road touring.
Service interval
Factory-managed Bentley Mulliner service programme — annual / 10,000 mile whichever comes first; all servicing routed through Bentley Mulliner factory technicians rather than a general Bentley main dealer.
Annual running cost
$25,000 – $60,000 (dominated by insurance, secure storage and factory-managed servicing rather than by consumables)
Fuel economy
Not separately published for the Bacalar; the shared 6.0-litre W12 in Continental GT application returns approximately 19 mpg imperial combined (16 mpg US / 15 L/100 km) — treat as indicative only
Insurance
Agreed-value coverage at seven-figure values via Hagerty Bespoke, Lockton Private Client or a Bentley Mulliner-facilitated arrangement — expect US$25,000–US$50,000 / £18,000–£38,000 annual premium range on a US$2–3m / £1.5–2.5m agreed value with mileage limit and secure-storage warranty.
Factory service programme is non-negotiable
All Bacalar servicing must be routed through Bentley Mulliner directly — the Bentley main-dealer network does not carry the Bacalar-specific factory training, tooling and panel-refurbishment access, and any service event outside the Bentley Mulliner factory programme will show as a gap in the Mulliner service record and will be treated as a valuation deduction in any onward transaction. Bentley Mulliner will collect and return the car to owner premises worldwide for scheduled service.
Storage, use and display
The Bacalar is a controlled-exposure car by design — climate-controlled storage between outings is expected, and any owner planning to use the car in variable weather should discuss weather-protection provisions with Bentley Mulliner in advance. Concours and Bentley Mulliner-hosted owner events (Villa d'Este, Salon Privé, Concours of Elegance, Pebble Beach, Amelia Island) are the primary use cases; on-road grand-touring use is materially outside the design intent given the absence of a fixed or folding roof and the coachbuilt bespoke interior trim.
Common Problems
Known issues by system
Ownership documentation — Bentley Mulliner build record and chassis authentication
Any Bacalar transaction requires direct verification against Bentley Mulliner's own build record and the Bentley Drivers Club modern-Mulliner register
CriticalNot applicable — documentation gaps are a purchase-decision item, not a repair item; a Bacalar with documentation issues should not be transacted at the tier.
Symptoms — Any offered Bacalar without a complete Bentley Mulliner-issued build record, individual owner-commissioned specification document, and unbroken Mulliner-service history should be treated as a due-diligence priority.
Inspection — Direct written confirmation from Bentley Mulliner of the chassis number, original commissioning owner and current build-record status; cross-reference to the Bentley Drivers Club modern register; confirmation of any accident or repair history through Bentley Mulliner's own repair record system.
Bodywork — coachbuilt bespoke panels
Every exterior body panel is unique to the Bacalar and cannot be sourced from the Continental GT parts network
Major$25,000 – $200,000+ per event, routed through Bentley Mulliner factory refurbishment
Symptoms — Any body damage requires Bentley Mulliner factory refurbishment; a general Bentley main-dealer body shop cannot correctly repair a Bacalar panel and any such repair will show as a valuation deduction in any onward transaction.
Inspection — Full paint-depth-gauge inspection of every exterior panel; verification of any Bentley Mulliner-issued repair record in the file; direct enquiry to Bentley Mulliner regarding any historical body event on the specific chassis.
Interior — bespoke hides, veneers and 5,000-year riverwood oak trim
Coachbuilt interior trim is unique to the commissioning owner's specification and materially expensive to refurbish or replicate
Moderate$20,000 – $120,000+ per event, routed through Bentley Mulliner
Symptoms — Any UV, weather or contact damage to the hides, veneers or riverwood oak trim; any evidence of inappropriate storage or extended weather exposure of the roofless cabin.
Inspection — Full visual inspection of every interior surface; verification of any Bentley Mulliner interior refurbishment record; confirmation of storage arrangements over the ownership history.
Powertrain — 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 and 8-speed DCT
Modern shared-platform powertrain, well-understood in the Continental GT range but Bacalar-specific tune requires Bentley Mulliner service
Moderate$4,000 – $18,000 per major service event routed through Bentley Mulliner
Symptoms — The standard modern W12 set of items — turbo actuator behaviour cold, coolant-hose and intercooler condition, DCT engagement quality cold and warm, air-suspension self-levelling.
Inspection — Bentley Mulliner-hosted PPI including diagnostic scan, full road-test, air-suspension height check and DCT engagement verification cold and warm; verification of complete Bentley Mulliner service history.
Wheels, tyres and brakes — Bacalar-specific fitment
22-inch bespoke Bacalar forged wheels and bespoke Pirelli P Zero fitment; carbon-ceramic brakes shared with Continental GT Speed
Minor$6,000 – $30,000 (tyres and carbon-ceramic disc replacement routed through Bentley Mulliner)
Symptoms — Wheel kerbing, tyre age (Pirelli P Zero fitments age materially even at low mileage), carbon-ceramic disc wear on any car with more than delivery-mileage use.
Inspection — Full wheel condition inspection; tyre date-code check on all four corners; carbon-ceramic disc wear inspection.
Auctions
Recent results
Date
Auction
Car
Mileage
Result
2025-12-05
RM Sotheby's
Abu Dhabi, Lot 427
2021 Bentley Bacalar
—
US$876,875
Sold
Investment
Long-term outlook
Blue ChipHorizon: 10+ years
The Bacalar is a blue-chip modern coachbuilt Bentley whose collector standing is structurally underwritten by three factors: (1) production is closed at twelve customer cars plus one factory-retained Car Zero, and at least one customer car has been reported destroyed in transport and not replaced — the surviving pool cannot be added to; (2) the Bacalar is the first modern coachbuilt Bentley and the reference point for the entire modern Mulliner coachbuilt programme that follows (Batur, Batur Convertible), which underwrites its status as the origin car of the modern Mulliner era; (3) the Bacalar is the last new W12-powered Mulliner coachbuilt Bentley and closes a specific chapter of Crewe's twelve-cylinder history that cannot be reopened. Best long-term holds in current buying: any Bacalar with an original commissioning owner history, complete Bentley Mulliner factory-service record, and delivery-condition mileage — the specific paint / trim / veneer specification will drive the ordering of prices within the surviving pool but every genuine Bacalar transaction is a defensible long-hold position at the £1.5–2.5m / US$1.9–3m level indicated by original delivery pricing and by the standing private brokered market.
Our view, not advice. This section is Car Collector International's editorial judgement on where this model sits in the collector market, based on the production, specification and market data set out in this guide. It is not a recommendation to buy or sell and it is not investment advice. Values can fall as well as rise.
Original coachbuilder and sole authorised service, refurbishment and body-repair provider for the Bacalar. All service events must be routed through Bentley Mulliner directly.
Standing UK Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialist — modern-Bentley private-sale brokerage, storage and event support alongside their pre-war and post-war coachbuilt expertise.
