Bentley illuminates Manhattan: All-new Torcal and Death Spray Custom Art Car make radiant NYC gallery debut

• All-new Torcal in New York City for the first time, marking the arrival of the marque's first fully electric model line
• Flying Spur Art Car by Death Spray Custom celebrated its US debut at CART Department, builds striking livery realized on the celebrated Supersports: FULL SEND car
• Two distinct expressions of light unite Bentley design and contemporary art: the Torcal’s illuminated diamond grille, and the Flying Spur Art Car’s glow-in-the-dark finish
• Exclusive gallery presentation brought British artist David Gwyther, CART Department founder Larry Warsh, and pop culture critic Carlo McCormick together in conversation.

(New York, 14 October 2026) Bentley Motors illuminated Manhattan yesterday evening, presenting the all-new Bentley Torcal alongside the Flying Spur Art Car by Death Spray Custom at CART Department in New York City.

Organized in partnership with cultural platform CART Department, the one-night gallery - showcased in the New York’s vibrant West Village - brought together two distinct expressions of luxury and performance, connected by technology and light as sources of design inspiration. The Torcal and Flying Spur Art Car explored that shared territory through different creative perspectives: one through Bentley’s first fully electric model, the other through Death Spray Custom’s graphic reinterpretation of the Flying Spur. Together, they placed Bentley’s electric future in direct conversation with contemporary art and utilize light as a design source and medium.

Following its global debut in London and US debut Los Angeles, the all-new Torcal made its first New York appearance as a Torcal S First Edition finished in Sequin Blue. Designed, engineered, and hand-crafted at Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe, England, the model represents the brand's newest model line and its first fully electric production vehicle.

The Torcal carries forward one of Bentley's most enduring design signatures: the Bentley Diamond. Featured since the 1920s, from wire mesh grilles to diamond-stitched seats, this historical design is now reinterpreted for a new era, with the Torcal featuring a striking illuminated diamond grille that reimagines a century of design craftsmanship.

Sharing the gallery floor was the Flying Spur Art Car, making its US debut after being transformed by the distinctive graphic vision of British artist David Gwyther, widely known as Death Spray.

Robin Page, Director of Design at Bentley Motors, said:

“The all-new Torcal represents a transformative design chapter for Bentley as our first fully electric car, where light becomes an essential sculptural medium. Rather than simply serving a functional purpose, illumination is woven directly into the architecture and surfaces of the car, defining its form and signalling modern technology while staying true to our sculptural heritage. It allowed us to explore how light itself can express a progressive, radiant vision of Bentley luxury.”

Craftsmanship Meets Contemporary Art

Self-taught as a painter, David Gwyther treats surfaces as his medium and speed as his subject. His vivid, angular visual language draws inspiration from vintage motorsport culture, evoking an era when a driver’s helmet was a singular artistic statement and computing was merely an aid to design rather than the master of it.

Gwyther established his international reputation by applying graphics to moving objects, ranging from racing helmets and suits to motorcycles, bicycles, and celebrated automotive liveries — including five of Ken Block’s Gymkhana vehicles and the bespoke livery created for the Supersports: FULL SEND car. With the Flying Spur Art Car, Gwyther brought the raw aesthetic of the racing paddock once again into dialogue with Crewe's refined luxury architecture.

Gwyther harnessed light as both subject and medium through an innovative application of phosphorescent paint technology. Over a base coat of deep black, intricate hand-applied masking defined the vehicle’s graphic architecture before a bespoke formulation blending white, blue, green, and purple glow-in-the-dark pigments was layered across the bodywork. The resulting finish gives the sedan an activated dual identity: by day, an arresting, high-contrast graphic exterior; by night, a luminescent canvas that radiates in the dark. Drawing inspiration from organic patterns in nature that oscillate between camouflage and radiant display, this technical coating merges cutting-edge material science with traditional hand-applied artistry, creating a luminous counterpoint to the Torcal’s own sculptural exploration of light.

Guests at the gallery witnessed Gwyther working live throughout the evening, completing artwork in real time. He commented:

“Working with Bentley - from the FULL SEND car to this Flying Spur - has always been about meeting Crewe’s extradordinary craftsmanship with something raw and immediate. That tactile feeling of a Bentley interior, where the knurling and stitching keep you connected to the handmade process, directly influenced how I approached the car’s surfaces. For the Flying Spur, light became the defining material. Layering glow-in-the-dark phosphorescent paint over stenciled speed forms creates a dual identity: sharp contrast in daylight, followed by a striking ‘night mode’ in darkness that turns illumination itself into the graphic statement.”

The Automobile as a Cultural Canvas

The one-night exhibit highlighted CART Department’s ongoing exploration of the vehicle as an artistic medium, anchored by an on-site conversation featuring Gwyther, CART founder Larry Warsh, and pop culture critic Carlo McCormick.

Larry Warsh, Founder of CART Department, said:

“At CART Department, we see the automobile as more than a means of transport—it is an expression of design, identity and culture. Presenting the Torcal alongside Death Spray Custom’s Flying Spur Art Car brings that perspective to life, connecting Bentley’s electric future with an artist’s reinterpretation of its craftsmanship. Their shared exploration of light creates a compelling dialogue between automotive design and contemporary art.”

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