At this year’s Geneva International Motor Show, Bentley will commence celebrations of its 100^th anniversary with a really special model. It’s called the Bentley Continental GT Number 9. Only 100 of them will ever exist and each one will be handcrafted by Mulliner. The special model, or what Bentley likes to call a collector’s car, takes inspiration from Bentley’s motorsport history and pays homage to a man called Sir Henry Ralph Stanley ‘Tim’ Birkin.

Birkin was not just a Bentley customer but also an investor and a racing driver. He helped develop a Bentley racing car in the early 20^th century – the Blower 4 ½. He raced it at the 1930 Le Mans 24 Hours and the racer wore the No. 9. Fast forward to the present and the Number 9 Edition by Mulliner segregates itself from the rest of the Continental GT range with a number of special design elements.

First up is the No. 9 badgework, including an imposing one on the front grille. Secondly, the special edition model is available in just two shades – Viridian green or Beluga black. The exterior styling is further lifted to a different level with 21-inch, 10-spoke wheels in matching colours and customers can also opt for Bentley’s Black Line specification and a carbon body kit.

For the cabin, customers have a choice of Cumbrian Green or Beluga heritage hides, with more glossy finishes to bits and pieces. Other special touches include debossed ‘B’ logos on the seat headrests and door pads, a tweaked dashboard design, 18K gold plated inserts and a Jaeger clock on the centre console. The standout feature in all 100 examples will be a wood insert which has been lifted directly from the seat of Birkin’s 1930 race car.

Mechanically, the Bentley Continental GT Number 9 Edition By Mulliner features the same 6.0-litre, twin-turbo W12 engine as the standard model. It produces 635PS/900Nm and puts to through to all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission. The sprint from nought to 100kmph takes 3.7 seconds and the top speed is 333kmph.

Bentley will celebrate its 100^th birthday on July 10, 2019. To ensure that whatever Bentley sells this year is special, each car’s badges on the bonnet, boot and wheel centres will feature a metallic finish around the ‘B’ logo in Centenary Gold. The bonnet and boot will also flaunt the years 1919 to 2019. Opening the door will project the Bentley symbol on the floor, while the door sills will highlight the company’s key years. The ‘B’ logo with Centenary Gold finish will also be found on the steering wheel, the gear shifter and on the key.

As for the Continental GT Number 9 Edition By Mulliner, Bentley hasn’t revealed any pricing details. But one thing is for sure, the booking period for the special edition will not be a long one.