GENEVA, March 6 — To celebrate its centenary year, Bentley announced the Number 9 edition of the Continental GT at the Geneva Motor Show, a limited-edition collector’s model inspired by the brand’s motorsport history.

For Bentley’s 100-year anniversary, the company has unveiled a special edition of the Continental GT, which pays tribute to Sir Henry Ralph Stanley "Tim” Birken — one of the original Bentley Boys, a group of race car drivers famous for their numerous victories in the 1920s against the era’s highest-performing vehicles, like those from Bugatti.

Birkin is credited with creating the 4.5-litre "Blower” Bentley, and the original Number 9 was the 4.5-liter supercharged Bentley "Blower” that Birkin drove during the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1930.

Mulliner will be bringing Birkin’s legacy back to life with the creation of just 100 Number 9 edition Continental GTs, inspired by the "Blower” Bentleys. The models will come in either green or black and feature Number 9 badging and a matching graphic on the grille. The GT wheels will be swapped out for 22-inch Mulliner Driving Specification wheels, also in either green or black.

The colour scheme continues inside: Heritage hides adorned with "B” logos will line the seats and inner door panel as they did in the original model of the 1930s. Likewise, the centre console has been finished in an aluminium that was designed to "limit light reflection” back in the Number 9’s heyday.

What makes this special edition truly a collector’s model, though, is the wood insert that was taken from the seat of the original 1930 Number 9 during a renovation. The artefact is backlit and has been placed in the centre dial of the dash.

Naturally, the price is reserved for serious collectors — this isn’t a model designed for your daily commute. In any case, the Continental GT Number 9 Edition will be on public display at the Geneva Motor Show beside the new Bentayga Speed and Continental GT Convertible.

The 89th Geneva Motor Show runs from tomorrow until March 17 at Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland. See more at gims.swiss. — AFP-Relaxnews