Around 200 guests joined senior management of AM100 dealer group HR Owen and Bentley Motors at the grand opening of HR Owen Bentley Hatfield yesterday.

It is built on the site of the former de Havilland aircraft factory, and within HR Owen’s new multi-marque facility – a 110,000 sq/ ft site that includes five showrooms including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, three workshops, event space and offices.

The new flagship site is the first in the UK to feature Bentley’s new experiential design concept, elevating the showroom experience with new levels of luxury and innovation.

Ken Choo, H.R. Owen chief executive, said: “H.R. Owen has a long and illustrious history retailing Bentley vehicles, and the launch of Bentley Hatfield marks an important milestone in that journey. Our new multi-million-pound automotive retail complex – the culmination of Berjaya Group founder, Vincent Tan’s vision, to create the ultimate luxury car facility and experience –  is the perfect location for Bentley Hatfield.

“Not just because of its cutting-edge design and facilities, but also because of the rich aviation history between the former de Havilland site and Bentley’s factory in Crewe, which produced the Merlin engines that powered the de Havilland Mosquito.

“Across the HR Owen Group we sell, service and maintain some of the most extraordinary supercars in the world.

“Our new complex offers a real opportunity for us to evolve the Bentley sales and aftersales experience in-line with the changing needs and desires of our customers.”

The new Bentley showroom joins HR Owen’s Bentley showrooms in Mayfair (Jack Barclay Bentley) and Surrey.

Richard Leopold, UK regional director of Bentley Motors, said: “The opening of Bentley Hatfield is a milestone moment for our UK operations, a demonstration of our joint commitment with HR Owen to our home market and our ambition to continue to lead the luxury car sector in the UK for many years to come.”        

Bentley Hatfield features a showroom space that is both open and luxurious and intimate and cosseting. Away from the large glazed frontage and warmly lit floor displaying the latest range of Bentley models, sits the Mulliner Commissioning Studio. This sanctuary features high-definition screens, paint samples, leather swatches and fine wood strips as inspiration for the bespoke process of co-creating a new Bentley with Mulliner.

This co-creation process was revealed to great effect at the launch event with a new range of Mulliner-created models available exclusively through Bentley Hatfield, known as the de Havilland Collection - the limited run of four cars was displayed at the dealership and Choo said he was hopeful of finding customers for such unique luxury Bentleys.