How many Bentley Bentayga owners would use it to go fishing? Enough of them for Bentley and its coachbuilding division to create the Bentayga Fly Fishing by Mulliner.
As its name implies, the Bentayga Fly Fishing by Mulliner is ready for riverside recreation – Bentley style. It comes with four rods inside Saddle-leather-trimmed tubes and two nets with their own leather bags stored in a bespoke hard container. Sliding out a tray provides easy access to a leather-trimmed box that contains room for food, three metal flasks, and fine china, as well as a tackle station. According to Bentley, “Inside the master tackle unit is a special Burr Walnut veneered drawer containing a fly-tying vice and tools, as well as a selection of cotton, hooks and feathers. Beneath this are four machined-from-solid aluminium reel cases trimmed in Saddle leather with a Linen cross-stitching.”
There’s also room for storing waders and boots. Those go inside a hand-crafted wood trunk that’s wrapped in Saddle leather and lined with neoprene.
A waterproof rear floor and rear sill protectors keep the Bentayga looking its best; an electronic dehumidifier keeps its cargo area fresh and dry.
When the fish are no longer biting, the tackle station, refreshment case, and wader storage trunk can be removed to make room for other types of cargo.
It’s likely that many Bentaygas are being used as “mall-crawlers,” but it’s good to see that Bentley is willing to equip them – however lavishly – to be used as what they are underneath their rich paint, supple leather, and gleaming wood trim: SUVs.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
