Young designers create new concepts for Bentley

Eighteen vehicle design course masters students have spent the last few months studying the work of Bentley's leading designers, including head of exterior design Raul Pires who played a key role designing the company's new Mulsanne flagship. Drawing on Bentley's proud design heritage. they have sought to develop a range of striking and futuristic car designs. Now four of the RCA students have been shortlisted to refine their designs with Pires and his colleagues with a winner and runner-up both being invited to join the Crewe-based company for a six month secondment in the Bentley design studio. Professor Dale Harrow, head of vehicle design at the RCA explained: "Working with Bentley has inspired these young designers to create a coupe for the 21st Century that embraces the latest aerodynamics technology. The vehicle design course attracts postgraduate students from across the world and it has been fascinating to see them make a connection with a British marque that has such a distinguished heritage." A key part of the project has been the ability to combine strong visual design with the latest automotive software. Each car design has undergone extensive testing in a virtual wind tunnel to assess and enhance its aerodynamic capabilities. "We've had invaluable support from Exa and their PowerFLOW software which was used to create cars like the Bentley Continental Supersports," added Professor Harrow. "The students realise the importance of optimising the aerodynamic qualities of their designs and Exa's technology allows each car to evolve constantly. Crucially, our young team has been working with top designers like Raul, learning how to combine great creativity with sound engineering solutions." Pires said the overall standard was extremely high and this convinced Bentley to add an extra place to the shortlist. The four Bentley/Exa finalists (pictured) are Bora Kim, David Seesing, Marten Wallgren and Mikka Heikkinen. Bora (26) from South Korea has created a Bentley which enables the owner to easily select their preferred engine for any given journey whilst Sweden's Marten (27) has created a futuristic version of the Bentley Continental GT. David Seesing (26) from Cologne in Germany hopes to be the third generation of his family to work in the motor industry and has impressed Bentley with his ability to combine radical design with impressive aerodynamics. Completing the line-up is Finland's Mikka Heikkinen (26) who has created a high-performance Bentley and used his industrial design training to create a powerful, visually impactful concept vehicle.