Righto, Bentley, the purveyor of cars for people who own counties, has just dropped a concept car that’s a bit, well, different. Forget the stately four-door saloons for a moment. The new Bentley EXP 15 is an all-electric, three-seater, picnic-ready land yacht that looks like it wants to race a train and then have a cuppa afterwards. And frankly, we’re here for it.
This isn’t some flight of fancy destined for a museum dustbin, either. While Bentley insists the EXP 15 is a “design vision” you can’t actually buy, it’s also a massive wink-wink, nudge-nudge about what their first proper EV will look like when it lands in 2026.The Crewe-based company is taking inspiration from its own glorious past, specifically the legendary 1930 “Blue Train” Speed Six.
That was the car associated with company chairman and certified “Bentley Boy” Woolf Barnato, who famously hammered it from Cannes to London, arriving before the luxury express train he was racing had even made it to Calais. What a lad.
So, what have they cooked up? The EXP 15 is an “elevated sporting sedan” with a bonnet so long it feels like it starts in a different time zone, a cabin pushed way back, and powerful rear haunches that scream “Resting Beast”, one of Bentley’s new design pillars.This thing looks like a cheetah that’s just had a massive lunch and is chilling out, but could still absolutely mess you up if it wanted to.And because it’s an EV, that massive bonnet doesn’t have a ruddy great engine under it. Instead, you get elegant storage compartments.The grille is still there, because it wouldn’t be a Bentley without it, but now it’s less about sucking in air and more about being a piece of “digital art,” lit up with LEDs in a fancy diamond pattern.
Things get even more delightfully bonkers on the inside. Created using virtual reality, the cabin is a three-seater. Why three? Because the fourth person is always the annoying one, probably. The driver gets their own door, while the passenger side features twin coach doors and a seat that can swivel 45 degrees outwards. This is all for the “art of arrival,” so you can step out with dignity, ensuring “the Instagram shot is perfect.” No undignified clambering here, thank you very much.
That clever passenger seat can also slide back to create colossal legroom, and a “Concertina Floor Storage” system opens up to create a dedicated space for your pampered pet or hand luggage, right where you can see it. But wait, there’s more. The boot is not just for your polo mallets. Open the rear hatch, and two small seats can be deployed, along with a fridge stocked with cold drinks that slides forward from the rear cabin. Yes, Bentley has invented the ultra-luxury tailgate party. Materials inside are a mix of old-school craft and new-tech, combining 100% wool from a 250-year-old English weaver with 3D-printed titanium bits.
So, while you can’t stroll into a dealership and slap down a deposit on this magnificent beast, the EXP 15 is a properly exciting look at the future of the grand tour.It’s a machine that honours its rule-breaking, train-beating heritage while packing in enough forward-thinking tech and quirky features to make it utterly unique. An all-electric, all-wheel drive, three-seat party wagon. Sweet as.
