Bentley celebrates its centenary with ultraexpensive, 66-pound book
The priciest version of the book, called the 100 Carat, costs $256,000.
Bentley Motors has a long history, and the carmaker is celebrating with a very big book. The Bentley Centenary Opus will be offered in three different versions, the company announced today, with prices ranging from £3,000 to £200,000 -- or about $3,800 to $256,000.
The 800-page book celebrates Bentley's 100-year heritage with nine chapters on the brand's performance, design, craftsmanship and similar topics. The foreword was written by fashion icon Ralph Lauren, while the final chapter, on Bentley's future, was written by company CEO Adrian Hallmark.
When fully opened, the book is nearly a meter (3.3 feet) wide, with special gatefolds up to 2 meters wide, and it weighs a whopping 66 pounds. Bentley claims the book, being published by luxury publishing house Opus, is "the biggest book ever produced on the story of an automotive brand." The book features genuine Bentley leather bindings and one of the brand's Bentley badges. Owners will even be able to pick the same hide color for the front cover as in their own Bentley car, and can have photos of their own cars inserted into the book.
This version will cost you a cool $256,000.
Of the three different versions of the book, the first is the Centenary Edition, which is limited to just 500 copies globally and costs £3,000. The next step up is the Mulliner Edition, which is limited to 100 units and costs £12,500 (about $16,000). Its special features include a collection of 20-by-24-inch Polaroid photos of 10 significant Bentley models and 56 hand-painted watercolors. The inside of the book's presentation case also features rubber from the tires of the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning 2003 Speed 8 racing car.
The 100 Carat Edition, however, is the book that will put all other books to shame. At £200,000 and limited to only seven copies, it gets its name from the fact it is adorned with 100 carats of diamonds. The Bentley winged badge, moreover, is set in either white gold or platinum. That's a book we're guessing you won't leave out unattended on the coffee table.
