Bentley confirms end of W12 production
After more than 20 years and 100,000 units, the last W12 will be built in April 2024
It’s rare for an engine to define a brand in the 2000s, but that’s exactly what the 6.0-litre W12 did for Bentley’s 21st-century rejuvenation. For many years, the Continental GT and Flying Spur were offered solely (and very successfully) with the 12-cylinder unit, and the most powerful versions - up to the 700hp Supersports - were always the 6.0-litre. Anyone who thought the W12 didn’t sound that great, moreover, was silenced in emphatic fashion by the Pikes Peak car.
The engine has garnered itself quite the reputation over the years, but all good things must come to an end, and Bentley has confirmed the last W12 will leave Crewe in April 2024. This being Bentley, however, and this engine being made in the Dream Factory - their name, not ours - the big lump is not going quietly. The final iteration of it is in the Batur; you might remember a power figure was suggested only to be ‘more than 740hp’ when revealed last year. Now that final figure has been confirmed as a mighty 750hp at 5,500rpm, which seems an appropriately gargantuan output for this engine to sign off with. The Batur will also boast a mighty 737lb ft, all the way from 1,750rpm to 5,000rpm. The W12 experience has always been defined by a monstrous mid-range, so these sorts of numbers only seem right.
It's easy to think of the 6.0-litre being the same engine since its first use in the 2003 Continental GT, but it’s been kept fresh over the years. Bentley says that it’s 54 per cent torquier than in 2003 - it was launched with 479lb ft and will sign off with 737lb ft, which is impressive, especially so given a 25 per cent reduction in emissions as well. The W12’s most significant overhaul came with the launch of the Bentayga in 2015 (what a great pairing of car and engine that was), which is the engine that remains in production now, with the introduction of twin-scroll turbos, cylinder deactivation, and direct and port injection.
Despite that, though, it was clear that even the cleanest 12-cylinder engine wasn’t going to align with Bentley’s Beyond100 plan. As it strives to create a lineup for the 2030s that doesn’t emit a single gram of carbon dioxide, so the W12 must go. Its line, and the 6.5 hours per engine invested, will now become part of an expanded area for production of the V8 and V6 Hybrid. The folk who build the W12s will be retrained and redeployed in Bentley, presumably with black armbands on for a good few months after. More cheerily, it should be noted that the Bentley PHEVs have apparently exceeded expectations in terms of demand. When the W12 is finally wound up, every Bentley in production will be offered with a plug.
Adrian Hallmark, Bentley’s Chairman and Chief Exec, said of the W12’s passing: “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.”
Those still after a new W12 Bentley can still get one, though ‘very few’ order slots are said to be available. Of course, with more than 105,000 units delivered over 20 years, there are plenty to pick from secondhand, from £12k mega brave pill all the way to £300k Pikes Peak tribute. The latest and greatest Speed, perhaps the best Bentley to house the W12 over the years, can be bought for £200k - it really will feel worth every penny.
The AE888 in my SEAT is strong, but sounds like an old tractor when accelerating. Not a patch on the ol' VR6 (or W12, of course).
Interesting to look back on the history of the narrow-angle vee engine, which allows a single camshaft to serve all cylinders (as in an inline engine) but the splay between the cylinders allowing a shorter total length. 2024 will be 102 years since Lancia introduced the idea with their V4 engine; the idea then lay dormant between the retirement of the Fulvia in 1976 and the VW Group resurrecting the idea in 1991 for a hot Golf.
(pic from wikipedia)
Two VR6s on a common crank gave the W12, the shorter total length being particularly helpful with the Audi-derived 4wd layout that puts the entire engine ahead of the front axle line.
And considering EVs are CO2-positive until they accumulate over 30k mileage - I bet very few Bentleys do over 30k during a 3-year lease? – Bentley’s zero-CO2 Beyond100 plan doesn’t exactly ‘add up’.
https://www.evo.co.uk/fuels/205634/synthetic-v-reg...
The demise of any large capacity 12 cylinder engine is always a sad moment so farewell W12. But it is surely to the 6.75 V8 L-Series that will always be more fondly remembered and where the smart collectors would put their money.
I just hope that Bentley and some of these other great car manufacturers have a basement garage where they still develop ICE for when we have the equivalent of "Diesel Gate" , at the end of this decade, and we all go back to where we once were....But the Chinese would have all bought up & moved over to China by then?
The way we are going; I can see the Flintstones car will be as good as it gets, if we keep going down this Eco-Stupidity route!
And considering EVs are CO2-positive until they accumulate over 30k mileage - I bet very few Bentleys do over 30k during a 3-year lease? – Bentley’s zero-CO2 Beyond100 plan doesn’t exactly ‘add up’.
https://www.evo.co.uk/fuels/205634/synthetic-v-reg...
Crazy you can get a conti for £12k now
Honestly, if you didn't have that constraint you wouldn't design a W12 - split journals, balance shafts and all that stuff (which still don't produce V12 smoothness) that a V12 doesn't need because it's inherently right from the get go.
Realistically though, 535bhp was enough for my old man
I’m not sure he’d be too happy about that! It wasn’t new, 65 plate, but only has 20k miles on it and was for sale at a Bentley main dealer. Love the Sequin Blue!
And considering EVs are CO2-positive until they accumulate over 30k mileage - I bet very few Bentleys do over 30k during a 3-year lease? – Bentley’s zero-CO2 Beyond100 plan doesn’t exactly ‘add up’.
https://www.evo.co.uk/fuels/205634/synthetic-v-reg...
Currently, EVs are CO2-positive until they hit 30k miles - although the Musk propagandaministerium would have us believe otherwise.
At time of writing, there're 34 2019 W12 Conti GTs for sale on Autotrader (AT).
For sake of argument, let's assume all 34 W12 GTs were leased and, therefore, now past their 3-year lease period and their initial keepers have moved on to a new leased vehicle.
Of the 34, only 4 have a mileage of over 30k.
So, if they were EVs, only 4 would be aligning with Bentley’s zero-CO2 Beyond100 plan - the other 30, obviously, would still be humongously CO2-positive.
Meanwhile, the initial keepers have leased new EVs, which are also CO2-positive. And round-and-round the CO2-increasing conundrum spins.
Perhaps a more workable solution would've been the banning of fossil fuels in 2035, not ICEs?
In turn, the oil companies would've been forced to invest in the production of carbon-neutral synthetic petrol. But that'd be too cost prohibitive? Erm, no...
How about diverting the $932 billion the world’s 20 biggest oil companies are projected to spend by the end of 2030 developing new oil fields?
If Shell, Exxon, et al, were only producing synthetic petrol, then all existing and new ICEs would be carbon-neutral, their existing and effective refuelling infrastructure could be retained, environment-plundering battery production would be unnecessary, as would CO2-increasing BEVs.
Meanwhile, there'd be sufficient time to develop a green-hydrogen refuelling network for HFCVs. Hydrogen-electric is the desired end-game for the the aviation, shipping and road freight sectors, so why are cars / personal transport being forced into a BEV cul-de-sac?
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