The Day I "Cut" the Bentley Continental
According to the photo’s metadata, it was taken in May 2008. It’s a record of an unforgettable project involving a certain Bentley.
The customer requested that we customize the headlight area of their early 2000s Bentley Continental to give it the look of the new Continental model that was redesigned around 2006.
To be honest, at first I flatly refused. The job involved cutting and patching the front end of a Bentley—a super-luxury car—using bodywork. The pressure was immense.
Even so, the client pleaded with me so earnestly that they even went so far as to say, “Even if you fail, we won’t hold you responsible in any way. Just give it a try.” I remember being encouraged by those words and deciding to take on the project.
Whether it’s a Bentley or a Harley, it’s still just metal. All we have to do is shape the metal, so logically, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to do it. That said, we were cutting through the front end of a Bentley—arguably the king of cars—with a Thunder. Naturally, I was pretty hesitant at first. But once I actually got to work, it turned out to be a truly enjoyable task. Looking at this photo, I found myself reminiscing about that experience.
I think it was about two weeks after we’d finished the bodywork. Every part we’d worked on had been beautifully shaped and finished with a glossy black paint job. The customer came to show us the finished Bentley with a truly delighted smile.
Looking back now, I realize I took on a pretty crazy project. But I suppose that was just a reflection of BAD LAND’s momentum and high level of motivation at the time. Looking at these photos again after so long, I couldn’t help but laugh.
