by Frank de Leeuw van Weenen May 16, 2008 11:56 AM
Filed Under: Bentley, European, Movies
Taking into account that knowledge equals power, investing in a book is always a good option. Whether you should be paying GBP 750 (Euro 940, USD 1,450) is questionable though, even if it was designed by Bentley Motors, is limited to 300 copies and a model pewter Bentley R Type which was described in Thunderball and James Bond called 'the locomotive'.
Now for the question on most people's lips, why Bentley? Didn't James Bond drive Aston Martins mostly? James Bond's preference of car lay with Bentley historically and he even owned three Bentleys during the first 14 original novels written by Ian Fleming.
The Special Edition Bentley version of Devil May Care is bound in a Bodoniana style casing with burnt oak leather and hand stitched red lining in the diamond pattern also found in Bentley grilles and current day upholsteries. The cover is adorned with a 1950s / 60s silver Bentley ‘Flying B’, while the inside of the casing is covered in deep red hotspur leather.
When Dirk van Braeckel, Chief Designer at Bentely was asked who at Bentley was involved in the project, he answered: “We always start a project in the Bentley design studio by giving all designers a chance to have an idea input and then proceed with the selected work and the designer behind it. In this case it was Kate Whatmore, our lady in exterior design, who came up with the goods. I, as always, had the overview and the pleasure to select and guide the ideas and take them to fruition.“
The Evil May Care special edition, also available as a regular novel through Penguin Books, will be published on May 28, exactly one hundred years after Ian Flemings birth. The limited edition is exclusively available through the Penguin James Bond website.
Bentley Motors designs limited collector’s edition of the new Bond book, Devil May Care
In a unique collaboration between three of Britain’s iconic brands – James Bond, Bentley Motors and Penguin Books - a special, limited edition of the new Bond book Devil May Care will be published on 28th May. Written by Sebastian Faulks at the invitation of Ian Fleming Publications to celebrate the Ian Fleming centenary, Devil May Care is one of the most eagerly anticipated publications of 2008.
Cars and James Bond have always had a strong association and, contrary to popular belief, Bond’s preference has historically been firmly with Bentley Motors. He owned three Bentleys in the course of the fourteen original novels written by Ian Fleming. It is fitting therefore that in Devil May Care - published to coincide with the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth - 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 beautiful and 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.
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).
The design
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.
Fleming described in detail a modified Bentley R type in Thunderball and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service which Bond loving called ‘the Locomotive’. The car never existed but, using Fleming’s exact specifications, a cast and polished 1:43 scale model of the car has been hand crafted by Bentley for this edition. The miniature is inserted into the book in a car-shaped hole and is individually numbered to match the plate on the inside cover. Each book is protected by a custom-made Plexiglass slip case, which will be sealed in protective and numbered wrapping.
what did bentley design exactly?? all i see are pages and a hardback.. or is it the curved edges and the diamond shaped stitching..?? can someone please solve the mystery...
