The Bentley brand is one of the oldest names in the industry. With a history dating back to 1919, the vehicle also comes with a signature design element that sits right at the front – the Flying B.
The Bentley Flying B is now in its sixth iteration. Introduced on the redesigned Flying Spur in 2019, the glossy hood ornament designed by Hoe Young Hwang, selected unanimously from a list of design candidates by the in-house team at Crewe, was built in prototype form and presented to the Board for selection.
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The new Bentley Flying B comes with lots of firsts. It was the first to be used electronically, the first to feature a cover plate a la Rolls-Royce, and the first with clear, luminous acrylic wings.
And apparently, 97 percent of Bentley Flying Spur buyers choose this option to strengthen the appeal of their luxury vehicle.
The first Flying B was introduced in the mid-1920s, which was an ornate upright brass ‘B’ featuring horizontally held wings. During the Bentley Derby era in the 1930s a second, smaller version was built featuring a forward leaning single ‘B’ wing in Art Deco style. Several modified versions were offered in Bentley models until the 1970s.
In 2006, the mascot hood was redesigned and given a mechanism that retracts on impact. It was only in 2019 that the cover plate was introduced.
The Flying B is currently made from a single piece of grade 316 stainless steel which is able to withstand extreme temperatures and is resistant to corrosion. The entire manufacturing process took 11 weeks from start to finish. These are then sent to WCM Europe Ltd for assembly, especially the crystal acrylic wings, wires and tiny LEDs which create a magical effect when used.
