Crewe, England - In an era of rapid electrification and engine downsizing, 12-cylinder engines are on a fast-track to extinction, and the latest we have to bid farewell to is Bentley’s iconic W12.
The British carmaker has announced that it will end production of its 12-cylinder petrol engine in April 2024, by which time more than 100 000 examples would have been produced in the company’s Dream Factory in Crewe, England.
The decision comes as part of Bentley’s Beyond100 strategy, which will see the company’s entire model line fully electrified by the start of the next decade. This journey has already begun, with the introduction of the Bentayga and Flying Spur Hybrid models for which demand is reportedly 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, will be consigned to history.
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 552kW and 1000Nm of torque.
“Our progressive journey towards sustainable luxury mobility means making changes to every area of Bentley Motors,” said Bentley Chief Executive Adrian Hallmark.
“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.”
Sadly, all Baturs have been sold but Bentley says that a limited number of the 485kW W12 configuration 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, the carmaker says.
According to Bentley, 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.
Since the first introduction of the 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12 in 2003, the engineering team in Crewe has continually improved the performance of the engine in terms of power, torque, emissions and refinement. Over the last 20 years, power has increased by 37 percent and torque by 54 percent, while emissions have been reduced by 25 percent.
Initially this was through evolution and optimisation of the control systems, improvements in the oil and cooling designs, turbocharging technology and more effective injection and combustion processes.
For the launch of the Bentayga in 2015, the W12 was completely redesigned from the sump up, and it’s that version of the engine that remains in production today – featuring cylinder deactivation, direct and port injection, and twin-scroll turbos.
For the final and ultimate version of the W12, Mulliner’s engineering team has reworked the intake, exhaust and cooling systems to liberate more power and torque than ever before. The turbocharger compressors are of a new design to improve efficiency, while the ducts that feed air to them are 33 per cent larger.
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