It's a sad day for the car industry as it lost an iconic motor: the W12. Bentley pulled the plug on the engine and hosted a ceremony at its Crewe factory in England to celebrate it as the last three W12-powered vehicles, a Continental GT, a Flying Spur, and a Bentayga, rolled off the line.
As the VW Group-owned luxury automaker notes, more than 100,000 copies of the W12 motor saw the light of day since its introduction in the original Continental GT back in 2003. That one rocked 552 hp (560 ps/412 kW) and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque.
Subsequently, Bentley introduced the second-generation W12 with the unveiling of the Bentayga in 2015. This newer mill was developed to perform at tilt angles of up to 35 degrees in any direction. Cylinder deactivation became a thing to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions and improve the fuel consumption, and it shut down one bank of six cylinders.
"Today marks the end of a development journey that our R&D and manufacturing colleagues over the years should be extremely proud of," commented Dr. Matthias Rabe, Bentley's Member of the Board for Research and Development. "Not least in the conceptualization, but also the continued progress with regards to power and performance optimization, while at the same time improving both emissions and refinement."
Photo: Bentley
The car manufacturer states that over the years, the lump became 34% more powerful and 54% torquier. At the same time, the W12 motor, which combines two narrow-angle V6 units that share a common crankshaft and is 24% shorter than a conventional V12, became 25% cleaner. It also played a vital role in the company's evolution, which just took another step into the future with the introduction of a new electrified V8 powertrain.
It debuted on the latest Continental GT Speed, turning it into a plug-in hybrid machine. A single electric motor integrated into the 8sp transmission assists the 4.0L twin-turbo V8. This recipe gives the car a total of 771 horsepower (782 ps/575 kW) and 738 pound-foot (1,000 Nm) of torque. This is more than what you'd get in the discontinued W12 and non-electrified V8 motors, and you're looking at the most powerful Bentley ever made.
Nevertheless, this title will soon be matched by the upcoming Flying Spur. The updated luxury sedan was recently teased, and Bentley revealed that it will get the same powertrain as the 2025 Continental GT Speed. Thus, it will enjoy identical output and thrust. Do you know what other model in the VW Group's portfolio uses this exact same recipe? That would be the 2025 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. The 2025 Flying Spur will offer a combined range of 500+ miles (805+ km) with the battery fully charged and a full tank of gas, Bentley says, and it should be due in a few weeks/months.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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