Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/787068
44 • S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S responsible for such immortal classics as the R-Type Continental and the Flying Spur. Today they will make anything your heart desires. Literally. If you can dream it and it is applicable to an automobile, they will make it, from something as simple as upholstery with your coat of arms on it to customized body work. Want a handcrafted docking station for your iPad? Piece of cake. A bottle- cooler with matching crystal glasses for champagne? Why not; the chauffeur is your designated driver. A built-in custom timepiece by Breitling in 18-karat rose or white gold with diamond hour markers? No troubles, mate. Security concerns? Please. In 2002, to celebrate the Golden Jubilee, Bentley delivered a customized vehicle with highly classified security features to Her Royal Highness Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and I do believe her Royal Highness is still whinnying with us. A built-in picnic hamper with Havilland porcelain, Robbe & Berking silver service, navigation system that includes Google Earth and Street View, seats that massage you, and a dizzying array of technological features that one can only hope includes something to keep you from falling asleep while you're getting that massage. Mulliner traces its roots back to saddle makers during the reign of Elizabeth I. The company came to prominence in 1760 when it began making the coaches that carried the Royal Mail. A century later Mulliner began producing their own coaches, and with the advent of the horseless carriage, they segued into making bespoke bodies for the new mechanized era. An engine mounted on a chassis would arrive at Mulliner's, and they would do the rest according to the client's specifications. The company has been associated with Bentley at least since 1923, and exclusively with them since 1959. They have been custom designed and fitted by Bentley's bespoke coach-building division, the famed and historic Mulliner Company. A Bentley what? By whom? T he Bentayga is Bentley's SUV, if one may be allowed to apply so mundane a designation to something with a V-12 engine that can go from zero to 60 in four seconds flat, with a top speed of 187 mph, and capable of towing more than 7,700 pounds. It allows you to customize the suspension at the touch of a button, giving you a ride suitable for everything from roughing it over the rigors of Balmoral to the gentler demands of the Royal Enclosure at Ascot. Inside it has an audio system with 20 speakers, two separate and independent entertainment systems for the rear-seat passengers, a 4G Wi-Fi hotspot that will integrate your iPhone with the car, a the Bentayga Fly Fishing model has everything you need for a day on your favorite stream, including four rods, a tackle station, and a waterproof, wader-storage trunk.