The Glastonbury Festival, one of the world’s greatest live music events, had the iconic Defender as the Official Vehicle Partner for the 2023 edition. A fleet of 20 Defender 110 electric hybrids transported headline artists such as Elton John, Guns N’ Roses, Arctic Monkeys to and from their performances at the Worthy Farm in Somerset between 21-25 June. The trim level offered for the event was the P400e electric hybrid, capable of a real-world range of 25 miles in EV mode, so the plug-in fleet operated with zero emissions throughout the event and drew electric charges from Glastonbury’s solar panels. Mark Cameron, Managing Director, Defender, said: “The Defender electric hybrid’s zero-emission all-terrain capability makes it the perfect choice for Glastonbury, whatever the weather. Charging our electric hybrids with solar energy at the world’s greatest music festival shows Defender’s commitment to going anywhere and making a difference.” 

As part of the centenary parade at this year’s 24 hours of Le Mans, the winner of the 2003 edition and Bentley’s most famous race car of the modern era, the Speed 8, returned to the famous racetrack. It was piloted by Guy Smith, the same driver who took the chequered flag twenty years ago and completed two laps of the circuit. The Speed 8 004/5 had recently undergone a complete rebuild to return it to the new standards as it was before its most famous victory. The car was displayed at the Le Mans museum for the entirety of the centenary event. This year’s Le Mans Classic also saw the return of a Works Bentley for the first time since the victory in 2003. A pair of Blower Continuation Series cars took part in the Grid 1 race – one owned by the factory and the other a customer car. 

A new building will be built at the Molsheim site in the second half of 2024 – next to the Bugatti studio. This new facility will support the ongoing production of the most extreme Bugatti – the Bolide and the W16 Mistral. It’s a two-storied building spread over a total area of 2120 sq. meters which would house the upcoming team members, a 50 per cent increase in workforce targeted by the brand by 2027. “The construction of this new building at our home in Molsheim is perfectly matched to the expansion of the brand and the product range and shows the strength of Bugatti on the way to an exciting future,” said Christophe Piochon, President of Bugatti Automobiles.