If you're not into basketball, you might not recognize the name Craig Sager. If you are, you'll know that Sager recently passed away, and was well known for his long-lasting commitment to sports journalism and his unmistakable sense of style. The latter inspired the sensational-looking Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible you see here.
Bentley and the SagerStrong Foundation, founded by the late Sager's wife Stacy, have just debuted the project, a one-off Bentley convertible designed and dedicated "to bringing Craig's iconic, overwhelmingly positive, and exuberant energy to life." If you're really a fan of the pattern that adorns the car, you'll be happy to hear the car will be auctioned to benefit the SageStrong Foundation's crusade against blood cancer.
That said, there are other reasons to be stoked about the art car-like livery. Even without being aware of Sager's impressive legacy in sports journalism, the design itself is worthy of some praise. However, if you are a sports fan (or a fan of Sager's in particular) you'll recognize the pattern. One of Sager's last public appearances was a speech he gave at the 2016 ESPYS while accepting the Jimm V Foundation's Perseverance Award.
The pattern you see here is the very same that adorned Sager's jacket that night. "Our interpretation of 'clothing' the Continental GT Speed Convertible in something Craig would have worn honors him and his vibrant, enduringly positive, and uplifting spirit," said Scott Reynolds, Retail Marketing Manager at Bentley. "It's our aspiration that further enhancing this car with the signatures of Craig's family, both on and off the court, will create an iconic piece of rolling memorabilia: a lighthouse of hope for those that knew and loved Craig."
The plan is to have sports, entertainment and celebrity figures sign the one-off Mulliner-commissioned car ahead of the 2023 auction. This will also include the signature of Steph Curry.
The Conti's headrests also sport Sager's penmanship, surrounded by stitching designed to match the car's colorful new "jacket." That said, you'll probably want to get some paint protection on this car stat should you win the auction, which is slated for 2023. While the GT Speed Convertible itself starts at $302,000 we expect it'll sell for far more.
We should note that you're paying purely for the incredible aesthetic upgrades on this Conti. It still produces the same (and incredibly healthy) 650 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque, more than enough to get the big coupe to 60 miles per in 3.8 seconds.
"Craig had a deep-rooted passion for craftsmanship, it was reflected in the suits he had tailored and the cars he chose to drive. If he were here today, he would be driving the family around, top down, smiling ear to ear in this perfect representation of his beautiful and powerful spirit," concluded Sager's wife Stacy.