- The W-12 engine is dead at Bentley
- Bentley built the W-12 in some form for the last two decades
- The 12-cylinder has been replaced by a plug-in hybrid V-8 powertrain
Bentley on Tuesday celebrated the construction of the final W-12 engine at its plant in Crewe, U.K., ending a run that lasted two decades.
The final engine is also the most powerful. Rated at 740 hp, it's destined for one of Bentley's limited-edition Baturs, a coachbuilt special celebrating the W-12 as well as previewing design themes for Bentley's first electric vehicle due in 2026. Bentley also rolled out Speed 12 special editions last year to mark the engine's run.
The twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter engine made its debut in the original Continental GT and has been updated over the years, as well as supplied to other brands within the Volkswagen Group at times.
More than 100,000 examples have been built, which according to Bentley makes the W-12 the most successful 12-cylinder engine of the modern era. Because of its W-layout, which essentially makes it two V-6s on a common crank, the engine is around 25% shorter than a traditional V-12, improving packaging characteristics. Fellow VW Group brand Bugatti used the same layout for the W-16 engine that powered the Veyron and Chiron hypercars.
Bentley celebrates end of production of W-12 engine - July, 2024
Bentley already announced plans of the engine's demise last year. Together with the V-6 and V-8 engines Bentley uses, the W-12 was always on borrowed time. Bentley has pledged to go the fully electric route around the end of the decade.
Bentley had a team of 30 staff dedicated to the engine's construction, with each unit taking around 6.5 hours to complete. With each new development, which over the years saw output rise by 34% from the first iteration to the last, Bentley would run an engine at full throttle for 100 hours, then repeat the process three more times for durability testing. This simulates driving 20,000 miles at 200 mph, according to the automaker. Another test would take the engine to redline 100 times within 30 seconds of starting, at an ambient temperature of just 14 degrees F.
The engine's replacement is a V-8 plug-in hybrid powertrain that made its debut in June in an updated Continental GT Speed. Rated at 771 hp, the powertrain is also destined for an updated Flying Spur Speed. Though yet to be confirmed, lower-rated versions will likely eventually feature in other models in the Bentley lineup.
