Bentley says that it has been inspired by the increasingly popular trend of filming supercars picking up Christmas trees, so it wanted to join in. Except, it opted to pick it up with something no less delightful, but significantly less powerful than a supercar. As you may be aware, the automaker has partnered with The Little Car Company to produce an 85-percent-scale version of the legendary Bentley Blower. Not simply a scale model, the vehicle will be road legal, and capable of reaching speeds of up to 72 km/h in the U.K. and Europe (it’s limited to 40 km/h in the U.S. and Canada due to regulations).
While that sounds like a breakneck speed
for a car this small, with just 20 hp at its disposal, it’s so
no supercar. Still, Bentley wanted to prove that it was just as capable of
hauling a Christmas tree as any Hennessey. So, in a recent video, it sent the
Bentley Blower Jnr to Switzerland, in order to allow it to pick up a tree from
a snow-capped Alp. And although the tree also looks like it was 85 percent
scale, it’s a no less impressive feat for what amounts to an extremely bougie
toy. In actual fact, the Tenenbaum mission was part of The Little Car Company’s
durability testing for the Bentley Blower Jnr. So intent are the companies on
producing a dependable mini car that the program lasts 8,046 km,
and will take place across three continents.
As you can see, Bentley and The Little Car
Company are taking this project very seriously. The body is covered in
impregnated fabric, just like the original, while the hood and its cooling
louvers are made of hand-formed aluminum, and have real leather straps. Unlike
the original, it doesn’t have an ash wood frame. Instead, it has a rear body
structure made of carbon fiber. And to slow it all down it gets Brembo brakes
at the front, and drums at the back.
Bentley hasn’t discussed pricing yet, but
none of that sounds cheap. Production of the Blower Jnr is set to begin in
2024.
