PHOTO: An array of other astonishing Bentley cars with the W12 engine — designed, engineered, developed and built by hand in Crewe — will take on the famous Goodwood Hillclimb event.
Powering Bentley to record success since 2013, the 12-cylinder engine paves the way for the brand’s transition to full electrification.
Bentley is set to celebrate 20 years of its mighty W12 engine at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, happening on July 13 to 16 at the grounds of the iconic Goodwood House in England.
The 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 powered Bentley to record success in the last 20 years. Powerful, reliable, refined, compact and extremely efficient for an engine of its class, the W12 has been the performance backbone of the brand since the launch of the Continental GT in 2003, and paves the way for Bentley’s journey to full electrification as outlined in its Beyond100 strategy.
Among the cars that will showcase the W12 are bespoke and coachbuilt Bentleys by Mulliner, Bentley’s new Speed Six Continuation Series that is making its global debut, and the Bentley Batur that is set to be unveiled in the UK for the first time.
An array of other astonishing Bentley cars with the W12 — designed, engineered, developed and built by hand in Crewe — will also take on the famous Goodwood Hillclimb event. The most powerful example of the engine ever created will drive the new Batur by Mulliner up the hill with 750 hp and 1,000 Nm, promising stunning performance.
The Batur is the latest entirely coachbuilt project by Mulliner, with just 18 examples set to be produced. All are already sold, each entirely bespoke to its owner. The car that will run on the hill is Car Zero-Zero, a prototype that is one of only two Baturs currently in existence.
The new Continental GT Le Mans Collection represents the pinnacle of W12 performance in Bentley’s mainstream model family, with 650 hp on tap. An example of this limited-edition car (only 48 will be built) will also take to the hill.
To mark the life of its W12, Bentley has created a special series of cars across the Speed models in the range. The Edition 12 family of cars includes a suite of W12-inspired details, with 120 examples each of Continental GT, Continental GTC, Flying Spur and Bentayga Speed being produced.
The final W12-powered car to make daily appearances on the Hillclimb will be the Continental GT Pikes Peak — the same car that set the Production Class record at Pikes Peak in 2019.
Joining the five W12 Bentleys on the hill will be Bentley’s original supercar — the Bentley Blower. The example that will run is Car Zero from the Blower Continuation Series, the world’s first pre-war continuation project that saw Mulliner create 12 new Blowers from scratch, using Bentley’s own 1929 Team Car #2 as the master.
The Speed Six Continuation Series is a new run of 12 cars (all sold) that will be handcrafted by Mulliner, each a faithful continuation of the Speed Six specification that raced at Le Mans in 1930. Preceding the 12 customer cars will be two development vehicles known as Car Zero and Factory Works.
To further mark the 20th anniversary of the W12 is a parade of 12 W12-powered cars. Joining the five supercars on the Hillclimb are seven others from Bentley’s rejuvenated and expanded Heritage Collection.
