Bentley brought its first fully electric model, the Torcal, to a one-night Manhattan gallery show alongside a Flying Spur that artist Death Spray Custom finished in phosphorescent paint.
What does a luxury EV have in common with a sedan that glows in the dark? According to Bentley, the answer is light. The brand took over CART Department in New York’s West Village for one evening. There it showed the all-new Torcal alongside the Flying Spur Art Car by Death Spray Custom.
Bentley organised the event with CART Department, a cultural platform. Both cars explored light as a design source, but from very different starting points.
The Torcal Arrives in New York
The Torcal has already had its global debut in London and its US debut in Los Angeles. For its first New York appearance, Bentley brought a Torcal S First Edition finished in Sequin Blue. This is the brand’s newest model line and its first fully electric production vehicle. Bentley designs, engineers and hand-builds it in Crewe.
The standout detail is an illuminated diamond grille. Bentley has used the diamond motif since the 1920s, from wire mesh grilles to diamond-stitched seats. Here it lights up.
Design director Robin Page says illumination is built into the car’s architecture and surfaces rather than serving a purely practical role. That is a neat way to link a new electric car to a century-old signature. However, the New York event added no new technical details, so the specification sheet will have to wait.
A Flying Spur With a Night Mode
The other car on the floor was the Flying Spur Art Car, making its US debut. It is the work of British artist David Gwyther, better known as Death Spray. A self-taught painter, Gwyther treats surfaces as his medium and speed as his subject.
His graphics have appeared on racing helmets, suits, motorcycles and bicycles. They have also featured on five of Ken Block’s Gymkhana vehicles and the livery of the Supersports: FULL SEND car.
For the Flying Spur, Gwyther started with a deep black base coat. Hand-applied masking then set out the graphic layout. Over that he layered a custom blend of white, blue, green and purple glow-in-the-dark pigments.
The result has two personalities. By day, it is a sharp, high-contrast design. After dark, the bodywork glows. Gwyther says patterns in nature that shift between camouflage and display inspired the effect.
He also credits the tactile feel of Bentley interiors, such as the knurling and stitching, for shaping how he approached the car’s surfaces. Guests watched him working live through the evening, finishing artwork in real time.
A Gallery Rather Than a Motor Show
The evening included a conversation between Gwyther, CART founder Larry Warsh and pop culture critic Carlo McCormick. Warsh describes the car as an expression of design, identity and culture, not just transport. The pairing put Bentley’s electric future next to an artist’s reinterpretation of its craftsmanship.
That framing tells us something about Bentley’s approach. Its first EV is being introduced through gallery floors and live painting, not just horsepower claims. In New York, the brand’s most technologically advanced car shared the room with a hand-masked sedan and a design motif that dates back to the 1920s.
