It's a wrap! Colourful convertible celebrates Bentley's third Manchester Pride

September 9, 2024 by Bentley

• Bentley marks year-round support for LGBTQ+ community at Manchester Pride parade where many Bentley colleagues live

•Uniquely-wrapped Continental GTC third annual entry at festival celebrating love and unity

•Eye-catching Rich Morris design focussed on celebrating love in all its forms and accepting differences

•75 Bentley colleagues, family and friends march in solidarity with LGBTQ+ community

•Colourful convertible celebrates progress of BeProud LGBTQ+ network at Bentley

Bentley Motors celebrated its year-round support for the LGBTQ+ community with a uniquely-wrapped convertible at this year's Manchester Pride Parade. The colourful Continental GTC featured a design by Rich Morris and was escorted through the flamboyant festival by 75 Bentley colleagues, family and friends.

Bentley's third annual entry in the Manchester parade follows the brand's involvement at both the Crewe Pride and Nantwich Pride events, close to the company's headquarters in the North West of England. Bentley colleagues at the Pyms Lane factory also continue to be active in other community outreach projects, supporting the luxury marque's culture of ensuring all employees feel comfortable bringing their true, authentic selves to the workplace.

For the colleague-led network BeProud and the community, taking part in Pride is far more significant than waving flags and loud celebration; it is a strong statement of support for the LGBTQ+ community not just at the home of Bentley in Crewe or its regional city of Manchester, but for all those marginalised and facing discrimination across the world. Pride started as a protest and continues to provide hope and progress for the community. Colleagues previously taking part in Pride have found it a transformational experience of love and acceptance, describing it as 'incomparable', 'empowering', as well as creating a 'feeling of belonging'.

Rich Morris' bold design for the Continental GTC featured the colours of the Progress flag, created to celebrate diversity and inclusion for everyone in the LGBTQ+ community. The focus of the parade car was 'finding your community' – an important factor for those who have grown up feeling different and suffering from prejudice.

A unique feature of this truly proud one-of-one handcrafted Bentley are the especially curated headrests, designed and manufactured by the in-house Design and Manufacturing teams. They showcase the pride in manufacturing whilst embodying the Manchester Pride theme 'Buzzin' to be Queer – A Hive of Progress', alongside Bentley's own colony of over one million bees onsite.

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There are 6,184 stitches in each embroidered pattern totalling 24,736 stitches across the front and rear headrests. Each headrest takes 15 minutes to embroider the BeProud logo, using the Bentley expanded font, alongside the Manchester Bee. The embroidery features nine unique Bentley coloured threads - Vivid Magenta, Azure Purple, Key Lime Green, Beluga, Reflex Blue, Cyber Yellow, White, Mandarin and Kingfisher Blue. The production of these headrests allowed the Bentley colleagues to showcase their support and pride for the BeProud network.

Karen Lange, Member of the Board for Human Resources, Bentley Motors, said:

'Our backing of the LGBTQ+ community is an ongoing, year-round commitment – not just during Pride Month. Rich Morris' design featured on Bentley's fourth dedicated Pride Car represents love, new life and acceptance. These important parades celebrate awareness and progress, while inspiring others to challenge discrimination and prejudice.'

Wayne Bruce, Chief Communications and DEI Officer at Bentley Motors, added:

'Manchester Pride allowed us to celebrate the years of progress made by BeProud at Bentley. The group focusses on LGBTQ+ topics and, as this year's Parade theme was 'Buzzin' To Be Queer – A Hive of Progress', it came at a timely moment for the 600 colleagues involved across the wider Bentley networks. The bee symbolises not only the hard work but also the ongoing commitment to progress, and DEI that Bentley champions.'