Bentley and FAT International Partnership Lights Up Ice Race
Bentley launched its new multi-year partnership with FAT International in spectacular style at the FAT Ice Race in Zell am See last weekend. The brand delivered an extensive, multi-faceted activation that put the Bentley FAT International partnership centre stage.
The event featured seven Bentleys, including three dynamic cars that ran on the ice track. Bentley also unveiled two global debuts and gave the first public event appearance to the modified Supersports that Travis Pastrana recently drove for Bentley’s new ‘Supersports: FULL SEND’ film.
Bentley welcomed more than 250 VIP guests and hosted them with its Board of Management in a dedicated, purpose-built hospitality Green House. Live DJs ran a bespoke sound system, and the Joe & The Juice Bentayga served warming coffee from an espresso machine in the boot at Bentley’s paddock space. The Green House added a fuller coffee and drinks bar. Bentley built the hospitality concept around Bentley Broadcast, which connected the Ice Race experience with Bentley’s long-standing presence in the audio world. Alongside the bespoke speakers, guests received limited-edition vinyl pressings featuring a curated soundtrack inspired by the event.
The dynamic fleet showcased a wide range of cars from Bentley’s stable. Bentley introduced the new Bentley Continental GT S, which blends the GT Speed's chassis with the 680 PS High Performance Hybrid powertrain to create a driver-focused variant in the Continental family. French racing driver Laura Villars drove the Continental GT S in the exhibition class. Bentley also brought the founding car of the Speed Six Continuation Series, Car Zero, and Mulliner specially prepared it for the FAT Ice Race. Mike Sayer, Head of Bentley’s Heritage Collection, drove it on the ice.
Bentley entered the Skijöring class with a Bentayga Speed. Broadcaster, journalist and car culture legend Chris Harris drove the Bentayga Speed while towing Norwegian freestyle skier and Olympian Hedvig Wessel. Deathspray created special liveries for the Continental GT S and the Bentayga Speed, and he drew inspiration from the design he created for the ‘Supersports: FULL SEND’ car.
Bentley shifted focus off the ice track and revealed the Bentayga X Concept as a new off-road-focused proposal for the Bentayga family. The Bentayga X Concept made its global debut at the event and featured a custom livery developed by Bentley in collaboration with FAT International. The concept raises ride height by 55 mm, expands track width by 120 mm, and adds off-road tyres and wheel arch extensions. Bentley completed the concept with a roof-mounted storage system that carried a FAT Karting League go-kart and four powerful spotlights for the Ice Race.
Bentley flanked its hospitality area with two more cars on static display. The track-driven Continental GT S appeared alongside its convertible sibling, the GTC S, finished in Thunder paintwork. Bentley also displayed the car affectionately known as Mildred, a lightly modified new Supersports that Travis Pastrana used to create the ‘Supersports: FULL SEND’ film. Bentley filmed the film at its Dream Factory campus on Pyms Lane in Crewe for its own Pymkhana, which premiered in Dubai on 22 January.
Bentley also debuted an exclusive Bentley x FAT International jacket that Bentley Creative Director Mai Ikuzawa designed for the occasion. The jacket comes in Bentley green and marks the new partnership with a limited run of 125 examples.
Bentley will continue the Bentley FAT International partnership at the new FAT Ice Race in Big Sky, Montana later this month. The brand will then deliver a day-long takeover of FAT’s Mankei property in Austria in the summer. Speaking on the partnership, Bentley’s Marketing Director Ben Whattam comments:
"Our new relationship with FAT International is the latest example of how we are redefining Bentley’s role in modern car culture, globally. Events like the FAT Ice Races are exciting opportunities to demonstrate the breadth of the Bentley brand, and together with FAT International, we’ve even developed a new car proposal in the form of the Bentayga X Concept. Over this year, expect to see more activations from Bentley around the world that showcase what we do best - provide extraordinary automotive experiences to our customers, partners and fans.”
