On top of running the oldest coachbuilder in the world in Mulliner, Ali will also head up the company’s GT3 race teams currently competing, putting him very near the top of the food chain only reporting to Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and CEO of Bentley. Additionally, Paul Williams, having been with Bentley for 15 years, will become the new Mulliner Chief Technical Officer and Bob Martin, formerly head of final assembly at Bentley, will be appointed Chief Operating Officer.
“Mulliner represents the very pinnacle of automotive design and expertise and Ansar joins at a time when we are experiencing record levels of demand,” said Hallmark. “Ansar’s considerable industry experience, particularly leading low-volume, highly bespoke customer-led divisions will offer valuable insights that will reinforce Mulliner as the leading personal commissioning division and generate significant contributions to the wider Bentley business.”
What this move means for MSO is hard to tell. The company has run into financial troubles in the past couple of years that saw the automaker sell its headquarters and a vast majority of the brand’s personal collection.
Perhaps Ali felt it was time to move to a company with a more secure footing, or maybe he just felt it was time to move on. Whatever the reason, McLaren still has a bright future ahead of it, especially thanks to the new Artura, so it’s going to be interesting to see where the two storied British brands go from here.