Bentley Motors Website: World of Bentley: News: 2023 News: Bentley announces end to 12-cylinder engine production with the most powerful version ever

A sustainable decision

The decision comes as part of Bentley’s acceleration towards a sustainable future through its Beyond100 strategy which will see the company’s entire model line fully electrified by the start of the next decade, reducing fleet average emissions to 0 g/km CO2. This journey has already begun, with the introduction of the Bentayga and Flying Spur Hybrid models for which demand is exceeding the company’s expectations. When production of the W12 ceases next year, Bentley’s entire model line will be available with the option of a hybrid powertrain. Meanwhile, an engine first made available in the sector-defining Continental GT, which has been powering Bentley both metaphorically and literally for the last 20 years, will be consigned to history.

Click here to discover more about the Beyond 100 strategy.

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The most powerful w12 ever

Bentley isn’t letting the W12 bow out without a dramatic send-off. Development work has concluded recently on the most powerful version of the W12 ever created. The ultimate iteration of this mighty engine – destined for just 18 examples of the Bentley Batur to be handcrafted by Mulliner – is now confirmed as developing 750 PS and 1,000 Nm of torque. The increased torque figure forms the typical Bentley ‘torque plateau’, running from 1,750 rpm to 5,000 rpm – with peak power at 5,500 rpm.

Battling through an exceptionally gruelling series of durability tests, the uprated engine has proven to be as reliable as ever and so will equip the most powerful road-going Bentley ever built. While all Baturs are sold, a limited number of the 659 PS version of the W12 engine offered in the Speed versions of Continental GT, Bentayga and Flying Spur as well as the Continental GT Mulliner and Flying Spur Mulliner can still be ordered. Demand for these final W12-powered Speed and Mulliner models is expected to be high, and customers eager to secure one of the last ever 12-cylinder Bentleys should contact their retailer with equal speed.

To find out more, locate and contact you dealer here.

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The Evolution of an Icon

Bentley’s legendary 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12, created in 2002, has evolved into the latest iteration of W12 engine used across today’s current model range. The unique W-configuration means that the engine is 24 per cent shorter than an equivalent V12, benefitting packaging and maximising usable cabin space.

The latest generation of W12 was launched in the Bentayga in 2015. A thoroughly reworked engine included a crankcase 30 per cent stronger than its predecessor, while the cylinder surfaces were coated to reduce friction and improve corrosion resistance. A low-alloy steel coating is applied to the bores using an Atmospheric Plasma Spray (APS) process.

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hand-built by experts

The W12 combines high-pressure direct fuel injection (200 bar injection pressure) with low-pressure port injection (six bar). The combination of these two systems maximises refinement, lowers particulate emissions and optimises power and torque delivery.

Each W12 engine is hand-built over 6.5 hours by a team of craftspeople before undertaking a highly sophisticated test regime of over an hour via three specialist diagnostic machines. Every week, one engine is run over an extended test cycle and then fully stripped for inspection.

The W12 engine facility will have delivered over 105,000 engines before reaching its 20th anniversary this year.

To discover more about Bentley engineering expertise, click here.

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