Bentley and the United Kingdom Sotheby’s International Realty began the festive season with much pomp and celebration by unveiling the brand-new hybrid Bentley model. The event, which was hosted by UK Sotheby’s International Realty, Watches of Switzerland, and HR Owen PLC in partnership with Rare Champagne, took place at Mayfair’s iconic Jack Barclay Bentley showroom on 14th November 2024.
A Remarkable History
The partnership between Bentley and UK Sotheby’s International Realty is a treasured milestone, given their rich and enduring legacies. Over centuries, both brands have built a strong presence in the global luxury market for their unrivalled quality, elevated expertise, and true refinement.
Bentley was founded in 1919, when Walter Owen Bentley, a car salesman, was struck by a revolutionary idea – to replace cast iron pistons with aluminium ones. This brainwave spurred the beginnings of a truly illustrious marque, which is now a paragon of superior engineering and automobile finesse.
Sotheby International Realty, on the other hand, was created in 1976 under the banner of the eponymous 279-year-old auction house. The nascent brand was created to disrupt the property market by forging a new, more exclusive path in the realm of prime real estate. The rest, as they say, is history – the company currently has over 1,110 offices across 83 countries, raking in an approximate annual revenue of $143 billion.
A Momentous Year: Revisiting 2024
The past year has been marked by incredible accomplishments for both brands, making this celebration serve as a delectable cherry on top of it all.
UK Sotheby’s International Realty was presented the prestigious Grand Prix for 'Private Client Firm of the Year' at the Spear’s Awards, which is an accolade typically reserved for influential financial institutions like J.P. Morgan. Further, the company’s revenue exceeded £500 million in the first quarter of 2024 alone. Unsurprisingly, Bentley too had a memorable year, earning a profit of £216 million within the first six months of 2024.
The Celebrations: A Recognition of Unmatched Quality
The spirited gathering was much more than a car launch – it was a celebration of significant luxury powerhouses and their star-dusted legacy. It was about honouring sheer excellence, awe-inspiring achievements, and the many more glorious years to come.
All the brands invited their respective clients to partake in the revelry. Over 200 discerning guests were treated to a wonderful showcase of exclusive cars, exceptional homes, and exquisite timepieces over glasses of quality bubbly.
The showstopper of the event was the Bentley Continental GT, an epitome of automobile excellence. Famous for being a formidable luxury grand tourer, the GT is armed with a hybrid four-litre V-8 powertrain that can generate 771 horsepower, can propel the car from 0 to 60 mph in a mere 3.1 seconds, and achieve an impressive top speed of 208 mph.
Ian Liborwich, Business Development Director at UK Sotheby's Realty, shared, “It was an incredible honour to bookend the year by hosting such an illustrious event with some of the most formidable brands in the global luxury market. The wonderful turnout and the incredible connections we fostered made it a truly memorable evening.”
