The Bentley Brooklands is not for everyone—and that’s exactly how the British automaker wants it. Bentley is only making 550 Brooklands, and most of those will be safely stored in private collections as immobilized prized possessions. Really, that’s what Bentleys are—works of art. They’re made entirely by hand according to the individual’s taste. The Brooklands embodies the fine art of the car manufacturing process from start to the finish, which I discovered on a European excavation of Bentley’s latest marquee.

If the Brooklands is art, its finest gallery is on the open road. Though they look beautiful standing still with long, sloping, elegant 213-inch curves, the Brooklands is at its best when you’re behind the wheel. It’s especially fabulous to drive a Brooklands in the fairytale setting of Florence, Italy along enchanted winding roads, with the scent of fresh flowers and dewy air engaging the senses—as I did one fine spring day on a test drive mission.

Florence, Italy is in heart of Tuscany where everything smells, tastes and feels good. The food is fresh, flavorful and robust. The women are beautiful, and the men are dashing. Extraordinary villas offer views akin to postcard dreams. People are in no hurry here—it’s the quality of life that matters most.

Bentley wisely chose Florence to launch the Brooklands. The tiny town is filled with craftsmen who approach their work with patient care—the master perfumer, the winemaker, the glass blower—much like Bentley’s approach to its cars. Yet, setting the tone for this juxtaposition was my in-depth exploration of the Brooklands—from sheet metal to fine finish—in a quick dash to the home of Bentley in Crewe, a tiny town north of Manchester, England.

With meticulous fingers, woodworkers coaxed walnut, oak and other fine woods into shape. It’s a job that will take a single woodworker several hours to complete. He works steadily, in an even rhythm, but he is not rushed; he cannot afford to make a mistake. He is one of the 4,000 people who work at the Bentley factory. Here, Bentleys are handcrafted in painstaking deliberation. Only a few robots are onsite, making for a serene factory climate. There is no clanking of an assembly line cluttering the atmosphere with pounding machines. The floor is spotless, and the atmosphere is focused and intent. Workers use their bare hands to stretch eight miles of cabling.

Each aspect of the Bentley process boils down to detail. It takes three days to cure the 17 cowhides used for one car’s leather interior. A man hand-sews the steering wheel using the teeth of a fork to measure the distance between each stitch. Several women patiently stitch the 300 pieces of leather used in a single car on sewing machines. The details are seemingly endless.

By the time I traipsed through the majestic area where Mulliner fine touches are laid on (Bentley Mulliner is the specialist personal commissioning department of Bentley Motors), I was dizzy by the unbelievable factory setting (and looming jet lag), gawking over Bentleys in their final stages. My gracious host arranged for me to be whisked away in a 1957 Bentley back to my hotel. The next morning, I was on a plane en route to test-drive the Brooklands in Italy. The Brooklands is the final statement on the Arnage platform, which includes the convertible Azure. The Arnage, Azure and Brooklands require 10 weeks to complete the production process. The development of the GT process is slightly quicker at 3.5 weeks, with engine parts constructed by their Volkswagen party in Germany.

The Brooklands is the latest fantastic Crewe creation that trumps the Bentley lineup as its most powerful V8. Bentley engineering chief Ulrich Eichhorn enlightened me on what to look forward to in the Brooklands when I sat down with him at an auto show earlier in the year. “It’s the highest torque V8 ever put into production, twice the torque of an Enzo,” he said, referring to the 774 lb.-ft. of torque in the engine arsenal, propelling the 530-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 6-liter engine.

Laced with 20-inch wheels, Eichhorn tells me they give the Brooklands a lot of grip and a balanced stance on the road. Carbon silicon brakes, a free-flowing air induction system and sports exhaust, and stiff body structure make for a performance-oriented, super-sized super car. “It’s the roomiest coupe in production.” Eichhorn said. “Twisting country roads are fantastic.”

When I arrived at my hilltop destination, the beguiling 5-star Villa Mangiacane, the Brooklands were lined up regal and stately as they welcomed me. Driving a Bentley is simply more than an automotive experience—it’s a slow-cooked luxury life meant to be savored. One must be in the right state of mind to command a Bentley. So,before I set off in a Brooklands, I set the tone for fine, personalized luxury with a visit to master perfumer Lorenzo Villoresi, a private tour of the famed Uffizi Gallery, including the off-limits Vasari Corridor, and then a magnificent meal at the Trattoria Cammillo.

The following morning was misty and cool, and I was primed to drive in anticipation of what was in store. The Brooklands may be elegant, but it’s not sedate with 0 to 60 mph acceleration of 5 seconds. I fell slightly short of 184-mph top speed on the stretches of Italian highway—but not by much—all the while attracting major stares from passers-by. The handling was authoritative, and though the car is massive, I felt in control buoyed by the strong engine and solid weight that still managed to handle like a nimble athlete. The Brooklands is a true heavyweight.
I drove past charming villas with the rest of the Brooklands brigade to a lunch stop in the quaint village of Volterra—where I ate the best pizza ever, and then later went leather shopping in San Gimignano. I took time to lounge in the backseat of a Brooklands, which I found restful and roomy. The Brooklands has more legroom than the Azure and more headroom than the Arnage. The best part of the backseat is that each sumptuous leather seat reclines individually.

Later that evening, over sips of fine local Monsanto wine, I chatted with Bentley designer Crispin Marshfield about his work on the car’s exterior. He told me that the 1950 Bentley Continental provided considerable inspiration. “The roof and high belt line give it a modern stance,” he said. “Notice the muscular rear fender and sloping glass. On the back of the car we had freedom and we were able to express ourselves.”

And while the Brooklands I drove were impressive, I imagine that the owners who will order their Brooklands to spec will feel even more sublime. Bentley customers weigh in on leather, color and wood, and with small production runs, the factory is able to tailor each car to fit the customer’s desire. It’s worth noting that almost half of the customers will choose to take the factory tour that I did to see the lifecycle of their new Bentley. I suppose for a sticker price of $340,990 this sounds like a reasonable request. But, for those in the market for a work of art, price is no option. For a Bentley owner that gets what they’re paying for, it’s the finished product that matters most, primed for the collector’s garage or the grand highway.

Photos: Tamara Warren