|
Bentley designers turn to Bond book
|
07/05/2008
|
| |
Every Bentley owner will want one and, even at a whopping £750, will probably be queuing for a copy of the new James Bond book, Devil May Care.
A special edition, written by Sebastian Faulks to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Bond creator Ian Fleming, has been produced by Bentley Motors and Penguin Books.
The limited edition of the new book commemorates the strong association of Bond’s historical preference for Bentleys. He owned three Bentleys in the course of the 14n original novels written by Fleming and, in Devil May Care, Bond is found once again in the driving seat of his favourite car.
To mark the reunion, Penguin approached Bentley to produce a luxury, limited edition of Devil May Care. The result is a striking edition which takes its inspiration from hard-covers of the original 1950s and 1960s Bond books combined with the stylish Bentley owner’s manuals and handbooks of the era. Inside the book is a specially designed model pewter Bentley, described in detail by Fleming in Thunderball.
Bentley chief designer Dirk van Braeckel says, “Transferring our design knowledge from the car world to a book was a new challenge for us, but working closely with Penguin, we think we have come up with a unique product which is complementary to the history of Bentley and Bond that can be appreciated by all.”
Only 300 copies of the Special Series edition will be produced, costing £750 each, available exclusively from the Penguin James Bond books website (www.penguin007.com). Devil May Care will be published on 28 May.
Evoking the feeling of the Cold War period in which Devil May Care is set, the edition is bound in Bodoniana style cases and finished in burnt oak leather sourced from the tannery in Italy which provides the hides for Bentley’s interiors. The iconic Bentley diamond pattern found on the radiator grille and upholstery of modern Bentley’s, is hand-stitched on the leather casing and the front cover and spine is finished with the silver Bentley ‘Flying B’ – the radiator cap of the Bentley’s of Bond’s time.
The inside of the casing is trimmed in deep red hotspur leather and has the striking fluting used on the 1950’s and 1960’s Bentley interior upholstery. Each book has a unique edition number embossed on a black aluminium plate produced the same company that makes the Bentley engine plates.
|
| |
Author
Ken Hurst
|
| |
| Email this article |
|
|