Bentley has announced a final edition of the Mulsanne – ahead of its production ending during the first half of this year – and the longest-serving V8 engine it was powered by will die with it.

This limited-run Mulsanne 6.75 Edition will be created by Bentley's coachbuilding division, Mulliner, and be restricted to 30 examples. This has been described as a “fitting send-off for a masterpiece of British automotive engineering and craftsmanship.”

With no immediate plans to replace the model, sales and marketing boss Chris Craft has confirmed the company will be "redeploying all of our manufacturing colleagues who currently work on the Mulsanne to other areas of the business." The Flying Spur will become Bentley's flagship model, with confirmation that a hybrid variant will arrive by 2023.

The Mulsanne 6.75 Edition is based on the existing 537hp Mulsanne Speed, with a number of specific details inside and out linking it to the engine. These include seat motifs, chrome badging for the exterior and engine bay, and a 6.75 Edition Logo projected by LED puddle lamps.

Specific chrome work and wheel finishes also feature, while the engine number plaque – usually signed by the engineer who hand-built it – will be signed by Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark.

The iconic 6.75-litre V8 motor was first used in the 1959 Bentley S2. Though it shares few actual components with the original engine, Bentley claims that today's iteration shares the same principles and dimensions.