Bentley commemorates end of W12 engine production

MANILA: Bentley has celebrated the production of its last W12 engine at its headquarters in Crewe, United Kingdom. 

The occasion marks the end of an era for the brand, as it is the last of the over 100,000 hand-built Bentley W12 engines produced since 2003. As a side note, the said motor was initially used on the first-generation Continental GT, which the British luxury carmaker introduced in 2003. 

The end of the high-performance engine’s production also coincides with the rollout of the last 12-cylinder versions of the Bentayga, Continental GT, and Flying Spur models from the production line of its Dream Factory. 

As the marque shared, it held a commemorative lunch for the W12’s assembly and research and development teams at the Bentley Heritage Garage. The Crewe-based car maker also gave W12 engine pistons to guests as mementos. 

“The W12 has played such an important role in the history of Bentley that it was only right for us to celebrate the engine’s retirement with those linked to this powerplant,” Member of the Board for Manufacturing at Bentley Motors Andreas Lehe said. 

“The engine’s introduction helped change the face of the company almost overnight and so will go down in history as a true game changer and we should feel very proud to have designed, developed, and manufactured such an icon in Britain for such a long period of time,” Lehe added. 

For those unaware, the decision to cease production for the W12 is outlined in the brand’s “Beyond100” strategy, which leans more towards sustainable powertrains. 

Moving forward, its luxury vehicle lineup will utilize a high-performance V8 hybrid powerplant. The aforementioned electrified powertrain is already in use on the next-generation Continental GT Speed, which recently debuted at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed. 

At maximum, the 4.0-liter V8 hybrid propelling the Continental GT Speed can produce 771 horsepower and 1,000 Newton-meters of torque. The peak output of the electrified eight-cylinder elevates the all-new model as the brand’s most powerful road-legal vehicle ever made. 

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