ADRIAN PADEANU wrote:A little over two years ago, Bentley arrived in Geneva with the lovely EXP 10 Speed 6 concept. For this year’s Swiss auto show, the peeps from Crewe have decided to chop off the coupe’s fixed metal roof and come up with a convertible version that goes by the rather uninspiring name of “EXP 12 Speed 6e.” Sadly, this one too is only a concept for now but Bentley says it will use the droptop as a tool to gauge public and customer feedback. In other words, it might make it to the assembly line at some point in the future and hopefully it will bring along the coupe.
Technical details are shrouded in mystery at this point, but for what it’s worth, one of the images showing the lavish cabin shows a 257-mile (413-km) range on a digital round display installed within the 200-mph (322-kph) speedometer.
Both the exterior and interior designs take inspiration from the coupe version and propose a retro-modern look by blending cues from models of yesteryear with a high-tech approach as evidenced by the LED headlights and the OLED touchscreen inside the cabin. The cut-away steering wheel is also a sight to behold, as are the copper elements adorning the gear selector and some of the other areas inside the plush cabin.
The exterior also stands out thanks to the front grille where the “6e” logo lights up in white once the car is turned on. While the coupe had conventional side mirrors, the cabriolet uses cameras with a design taking inspiration from stealth aircraft fuselages, according to Bentley. Recharging the unspecified battery pack can be done by using the charging point concealed behind the rear license plate or wirelessly thanks to the concept’s support for inductive charging.
It remains to be seen whether these two concepts will see the light of production day, but it would be a waste to throw out such sleek designs.
