Bentley has announced the end of the line for its iconic W12 powertrain, confirming an April 2024 exit date for the powerhouse which will be farewelled with a 551kW version in the upcoming Batur.
Production of the Batur will be capped at just 18 units, each of which will come powered by Bentley’s most powerful iteration of the 6.0-litre W12 unit pushing out 551kW/1000Nm.
The famed W12 unit will make way for a range of forced induction V8 and V6 hybrid engines as Bentley looks to meet environmental regulations, saying a hybrid V6 will be an engine option for every member of its lineup. It is already available in the Bentayga and Flying Spur.
Since its inception and introduction in the 2003 Continental GT, Bentley’s W12 engine has made its way into 100,000 vehicles around the globe and will be farewelled by Bentley’s Mulliner Batur that, fittingly, introduces the next generation of Bentley’s styling language.
Over time, Bentley has managed to extract 37 per cent more power and 54 per cent more torque from its 6.0-litre monster, all while dropping fuel economy figures by 25 per cent. It underwent a major overhaul in 2015 when the Bentayga was first introduced, and has been used in every flagship since.
For those that haven’t been lucky enough to secure their own hyper-limited Batur, Bentley says there is a small number of W12-powered Speed variants for the Continental GT, Bentayga, Flying Spur, Continental GT Mulliner and the Flying Spur Mulliner available.
The company expects demand for its last W12-powered vehicles to be high, so you’ll have to be quick to swoop up one of the final W12-powered Bentleys ever made. Bentley’s CEO, Adrian Hallmark, said:
“20 years and more than 100,00 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 every created.”
