There was a time when owning a private jet was enough of a reason to brag. These days, though, with every rapper and reality TV star Instagramming their weekend jaunt in their sparkling jet, it’s easy to forgive that little sigh of ennui.
Leave it to Flexjet – which offers shared ownership and access programmes – to up the ante by teaming up with Bentley to dress up the interiors of the latest addition to its European fleet, the Gulfstream G650, the ultra-long-range jet having debuted to tremendous applause this past September in Malta.
And it’s easy to see why. Quite apart from the G650’s Top Gun-like performance specs – it can cover 11,500km and hit a top cruising speed of Mach 0.925 – its interiors echo the luxe moodboard and silhouettes of Bentley’s extremely rare Mulliner Bacalar (announced in 2020, only 12 examples of the two-door open-top motorcar exist, with each customised to its owner’s specs), complete with seats encased with the white leather basketweave stitching which will be immediately recognisable by any Bentley aficionado.
Interior of the Gulfstream G650 jet
The seamless segue between ground transport and airborne fleet is reinforced with Flexjet’s simultaneous launch of its European point-to-point helicopter service in a Sikorsky S-76, the latter also featuring the design imprint of the Bentley Mulliner Bacalar.
Lest anyone be concerned about the possible dilution of Bentley’s aesthetic marque, Flexjet CEO Michael Silvestro is quick to point out that ‘like the Bacalar, of which there are no two alike, we will only be using this interior in one of our helicopters and one of our Gulfstream G650 aircraft’.
The Bentley collaboration is just one of the salvos to be fired in Flexjet’s ambitious expansion plans, the company already working with a slew of blue-chip partners ranging from yachting companies and spas, fashion houses and retailers to luxury hotel brands.
bentleymotors.com; flexjet.com
The Sikorsky S-76 helicopters used in Flexjet's point-to-point helicopter service
Interiors of the Sikorsky S-76 helicopters used in Flexjet's point-to-point helicopter service
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