Mulsanne

Make
Bentley
Segment
Sedan
  • The famous Italian coachbuilder secured $102 million for expansion
  • Three new high-profile shareholders
  • Upcoming range will include electric cars, city cars, bikes, motorbikes, and scooters

Ares Design hand-builds many of the most outstanding restomods and bespoke vehicles in the world today.

The independent coachbuilder based in Modena, Italy, produces possibly the most highly regarded bespoke builds of the last few decades. Its one-of-one Bentley Mulsanne was a coach-built Coupe masterpiece that shocked CarBuzz staff in person and its Land Rover Defender builds are without parallel. As with any high-end luxury builder from multinationals to low-volume masterpieces, Ares Design is shifting its philosophy to EV cars and trucks.

Ares Design is a compact and agile team, allowing them to rapidly adapt to new (and classic) platforms, so the shift to electric cars should ramp up fast. But all the talent in the design world won't help a lack of capital. And it appears that Ares has that solved too with a cash injection to help bring its new-era creations to its showrooms around the globe.

The Ares Design name might not have mainstream status, but its low-volume approach appeals to the world's wealthy elite. Those connections to capital have secured a welcome $102 million (100 million Euros) to facilitate expansion for the company and product line. The funds also came with the announcement of new investors and board members to push the EV and electric mobility agenda.

Ares Design welcomes three new shareholders, bringing significant skills and credibility to the company. Marco Bizzarri has been the President and CEO of Gucci since 2015 and, before that the fashion house of Stella McCartney. Boris Collardi has held the position of CEO at private Swiss banks for several years to keep the finances in check as a board member. But as an automotive company, it was critical to bring on Investor Alfredo Altavilla, a former FCA executive, for his experience.

Altavilla will also become an Ares Design board member along with noted executive Philippe Gaydoul who brings years of successful venture capitalist success to the company.

The Ares Design product aims to bring its design prowess to more than just limited internal combustion vehicles like its C8 Corvette-based S1 Speedster. The new push for luxury EV mobility will include electric cars, city cars, bikes, motorbikes, and scooters. The fresh lineup will debut later this year, although no event or launch timeframe has been announced.

The new products will be on sale in its extensive studio showroom network in Miami, Marbella, Kitzbuhel, Munich, St. Moritz, Zurich, Modena, and Dubai. That number will grow with the addition of Bologna, Milan, and London before the end of 2022. We know Ares Designs makes among the most desirable yet unobtainable bespoke coachwork available, and now it sounds like the brand will be that much more accessible for the rest of us.