Why Did Bentley Stop Making Its Iconic W12 Engine?
The last of the W12 Bentley engines, shown above, was produced on July 23, 2024. Bentley's turbocharged W12 engine, introduced in 2003, became the most successful modern 12-cylinder engine, with more than 100,000 produced. The W12 engine was a solution to the problem of retaining the smoothness of a 12-cylinder engine without the excessively large amount of space that a V12 engine typically took up under the hood. By combining two narrow-angle V6 engines on a common crankshaft, the W12 engine was 24% shorter than the average V12. From its original 6.0-liter version producing 552 horsepower, plus a 479 lb-ft torque peak that covered a range from 1,600 rpm to 6,100 rpm, the Bentley W12 engine did the job expected of it for the Bentley brand.
In 2015, the W12 was totally redesigned and torture-tested with a program that included a continuous 100 hours of running at wide-open throttle. Power was increased to 600 horsepower, and torque was up to 663 lb-ft In its final 2024 version, the W12 produced 626 horsepower in its standard version and 650 horsepower in the Speed specification. An even higher-rated version was reserved for one of Bentley's coachbuilt models. The reason Bentley stopped making its iconic W12 engine is because it has been replaced by the V8-based Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain, which is more powerful and emits less CO2 than the W12.
Which Bentley vehicles came with its iconic W12 engine?
The origin story of Bentley's W12 engine can be traced back to its first appearance in the Bentley Continental GT in 2003. A complete redesign in 2015 preceded the launch of Bentley's new SUV, the Bentayga. Later editions of the W12 engine boosted its output and led to two output levels, one for the standard models and one for the high-performance Speed-spec models. The last of the W12-powered Bentley vehicles in the standard Bentley lineup were the Continental, the Bentayga, and the Flying Spur.
Throughout its lifespan of more than 20 years, the Bentley W12 engine has been used in a variety of applications, from the standard Bentley models to some very special and exclusive coachbuilt models. One of the most extreme of these is the coachbuilt, limited-edition Batur convertible, shown above, which carries a 740-horsepower version of the W12, the most powerful ever produced by Bentley. The Batur convertible made its global public debut in Dubai on April 17, 2025. Only 16 Batur convertibles will be made, each of which will be specified to match the tastes of its owner. The price of the Batur convertible has been estimated to start at around $2.1 million.