Bentley Motors consulted a pretentious (i.e. 100% fictional) Swiss influencer for design input on the limited-production Bentley Bentayga EWB Chalet Edition. With a wink and tongue-firmly-in-cheek, the venerable brand went along with the gag with impressive results. “The intention was to put a chalet on the road for the very first time,” says the social media maven known as The Gstaad Guy.
Sure, a private jet is nice, and a beach-side villa is lovely. But have you ever found a mobile chateau with a truly great bench? This, in the canon of Gstaad Guy blog’s considerable luxury, is the crème de la crème. That’s according to Constance, Gstaad Guy’s popular video character who’s known to his 1.7 million followers for his for patrician frown, his second-skin of Loro Piana cashmere, and his Gstaad Guy advice which often ends with a plea to place something or other “à la poubelle.”
Bentley Motors decided to apply Gstaad Guy’s POV to the design of its special edition Bentley Bentayga — and the Swiss bon vivant knew exactly what he wanted, beginning with a handsome bench.
Q: Um…a bench?
Gstaad Guy: “Switzerland is a nation of very good benches. A place which, for all its acclaimed industry, has its priorities straight — that knows when the time is right to sit, to stop, to look out and enjoy the beautiful view.”
Q: A bench. In a Bentley.
GG: “I love the Swiss bench culture. I think Switzerland has exceptional benches. And this car also has a moving bench. (Ed. Note: To be more precise, it has a leather flap for sitting on at the back of the car when the hatch is lifted.) Bench culture is the best. It’s the ability to pause and enjoy a moment on a bench. The bench is a big feature. I’m a bench lover.”
Q: So how does the bench work?
GG: “You can open the boot of the car, and we have a beautiful leather boot protector which slides out, so you’re never in direct contact with the car’s exterior. And then you just reverse the car into a spot with a beautiful view — and you sit and you look out. That’s the one thing in particular that I love about the Swiss: that they make sure to really enjoy Switzerland. I find that truly inspiring.”
Q: Who or what was the prototype for Gstaad Guy?
GG: “Gstaad Guy is someone who wants the best of the best in every single category. It was important to figure out exactly who the character was, and how that persona consumed. Because although the character is fictional, he is an ambassador for a very real type of person: a true connoisseur. He has been working with Audemars Piguet in watches, because that is what he believes to be the best; and with Loro Piana in clothes and fibers, because that is what he believes to be the best. And I realized that the missing element was always what he drives. Naturally, Bentley is very Gstaad Guy and a connoisseur favorite.”
Q: How did the collaboration with Bentley come about?
GG: “I began to ask Bentley if we could create the perfect Gstaad Guy car that would combine the best mobility and luxury of Bentley with the coziness and family feel of a chalet. That is very important to Gstaad Guy. One element of Swiss chalets that I find really important is the use of what’s around you and the ability to enjoy what’s around you and that’s why it’s made for someone who wants to enjoy a car, and travel to enjoy beautiful things. The cars must be driven, and the hills of Switzerland are meant to be explored.”
Q: Who would be Gstaad Guy’s perfect road-trip companions?
GG: “My dream passenger to my right would be David Attenborough. The king of exploration. If I could have the pleasure of meeting David Attenborough, and sitting by his side, and driving through the hills of Switzerland while he tells me how beautiful the Chalet car is and how beautiful the hills are — there’s nothing more I could ask for in this world. I would then have Rowan Atkinson back left, and then maybe throw in Jeremy Clarkson, back right. So you have nature and exploration (very Swiss), Rowan Atkinson (very Gstaad), and Jeremy Clarkson (very car). What links them all is that they’re men of taste.”
