But you’ll still be taking full account of Bentley heritage?
“Very much so. There are iconic elements in every successful Bentley in history. Ignore those and people will say what you’ve built isn’t a Bentley – that it has lost its identity.”
Do you have any plans for a concept to announce a new design era?
“I’m definitely keen to do a car that shows our new design expression and tries some new ideas, but you have to time any concept carefully: there’s always the concern someone will copy you and get your ideas into production earlier than you.
“There are two ways a company like Bentley can use concepts: via a small run of very special cars like the Batur, or as a one-off on a stage with an event running around it. We’re discussing what will work best at the moment.”
You were at Volvo for 10 years. What is the ideal job tenure for a top designer?
“I’ve always thought five to 10 years is a pretty good time. You need time to make a difference and to see the cars safely into production. To eat the meal you cooked, if you like. I think that’s the way our CEO, Adrian Hallmark, is thinking too.”
