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After 21 Years, Bentley Says Goodbye To Its W12 Engine With The Most Powerful Version
Bentley Motors says it will stop producing its beloved W12 engine in April 2024 after a 21-year production run.
Set to go out with a “dramatic send-off” with the development of the most powerful version of the W12 ever created.
This engine churns out 740 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque and will power the upcoming $1.95 million Mulliner Batur.
Before reaching its 20th anniversary this year, the W12 engine facility will have delivered over 105,000 engines.
When production ceases next year, more than 100,000 examples will have been handcrafted in the company’s Dream Factory.
From April next year, Bentley’s entire model line will be available with the option of a hybrid powertrain.
Bentley says it will cease production of its iconic 12-cylinder petrol engine in April 2024 as part of its acceleration towards fully electrifying the company’s entire model line by the start of the next decade.
When production of the W12 engine ceases in April next year, Bentley’s entire model line, including the Bentayga EWB and Continental GT, will be available with the option of a hybrid powertrain.
To give its beloved W12 engine a befitting send-off, Bentley created the most powerful version of the engine that is destined to power the 18 examples of the handcrafted $1.95 million Bentley Batur by Mulliner.
The iteration of this hand-assembled 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine churns out 750 PS (740 horsepower) and 1,000 Nm of torque (737.6 lb-ft), making the limited-edition Batur the most powerful Bentley yet.
Bentley’s Chairman and Chief Executive, Adrian Hallmark, comments:
“Our progressive journey towards sustainable luxury mobility means making changes to every area of Bentley Motors. When we first launched the W12 back in 2003, we knew we had a mighty engine that would propel both our cars and the brand forwards at speed.
“20 years and more than 100,000 W12s later, the time has come to retire this now-iconic powertrain as we take strides towards electrification – but not without giving it the best send-off possible, with the most powerful version of the engine ever created.
“The 750 PS titan that Mulliner has created for the Batur marks the end of a development journey of which our engineering and manufacturing colleagues should be extremely proud, and when production finishes in April next year we aim to retrain and redeploy all of the skilled craftspeople who still build each engine by hand.”
W12 engine
Bentley’s iconic W12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where three banks of four cylinders are arranged in a W configuration around a common crankshaft.
First made available in 2003 in the sector-defining Continental GT, each the 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 is hand-built over 6.5 hours before undertaking a highly sophisticated test regime of over an hour via three specialist diagnostic machines.
Before reaching its 20th anniversary this year, the W12 engine facility will have delivered over 105,000 engines. When production ceases next year, more than 100,000 examples will have been handcrafted in the company’s Dream Factory in Crewe, England.
