Most Expensive Car At 2013 North American International Auto Show In Detroit
DETROIT (WWJ) - You can look, but you can't touch.
A souped up version of the Bentley Mulsanne has the distinction of being the most expensive car on the floor at this year's North American International Auto Show In Detroit.
Bentley spokesperson Kristen Thompson said the hand-crafted Mulsanne is the ultimate in luxury, with a price tag of $368,000.
Thompson said it takes over 500 hours to complete just one Mulsanne.
"It actually takes about 15 hours to stitch the steering wheel and there are only four people in our factory in England who know how to do it. They are just masters at their craft," Thompson told WWJ's Sandra McNeill. "One of the women who works on the steering wheel actually has a fork that she uses to puncture the holes in the steering wheel so that they can hand-stitch it."
Thompson said the car's interior is completely decked out with some of the world's finest leather.
"They actually source the leather only from Scandinavian regions because the cooler temperatures ensures the fewest imperfections in the hide," she said.
And then, there's an exclusive clock.
"Breitling is a high-end watch company and we have a specific partnership with them and they custom make all the time pieces in the vehicles," she said.
But one of the most impressive things about the Mulsanne is its back seat.
"The back seats have the heating and cooling, they have the massagers, you can recline in the back seat quite a bit as well. And then in between the seats is a new bottle cooler, it retracts with room for two champagne bottles and three crystal flutes. There's also two TVs so you can watch movies, you can do whatever you'd like in the back seat" said Thompson.
So, what's going on under the Mulsanne's hood? A remarkable 6 ¾-litre, 90-degree V8 engine, an all-new 505bhp engineering marvel that generates 1020Nm of torque.
You can't get too up close and personal with the Mulsanne at the Auto Show, however. Thompson said the only way you'll be able to get inside of one is by making an appointment at a Bentley dealer.
The Auto Show runs through Sunday, Jan. 27 at downtown Detroit's Cobo Center.
