Final testing begins for Bentley Mulliner W12 Batur Convertible

MANILA: The final sign-off testing for the most powerful W12-engined Bentley model, the Batur Convertible, has officially begun in Europe. 

In total, only 16 examples of drop-top rides for customers will be made by Mulliner - the Crewe-based car maker’s in-house bespoke division. The 12-cylinder engines propelling the said models are also the last batch to have been made by the brand since its discontinuation back in July 2024. 

As mentioned above, the final series of 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 engines on the Batur will be the most powerful of its kind ever developed. Each model is touted to produce up to 739 horsepower, thus making the Mulliner-made convertible one of the most powerful W12-powered drop-top Grand Tourers in the carmaker’s history. 

With regard to the validation test procedures, Bentley has indicated several activities, including testing for high-speed stability, aerodynamics, driving dynamics, and engine durability.  

Over 120 individual tests will be carried out and will cover all aspects of the vehicle in over 58 weeks for the first two Batur models. The real-world test campaign, in particular, was kicked off by a 3,000-kilometer journey across Europe. 

“The purpose of an engineering validation public road drive is to test a vehicle’s performance, safety, and reliability under real-world conditions,” Chief Technical Officer for Mulliner Paul Williams said. 

“It allows our engineers to assess how the vehicle operates in a variety of environments, traffic scenarios, and weather conditions that can not be fully replicated in controlled testing environments,” Williams added. 

To note, the Bentley W12 engine left the luxury car brand’s production line earlier this year. Moving forward, the British marque will be leveraging its expertise in electrified powertrains, as signified by the recent launches of the next-gen Flying Spur and next-gen Continental GT. 

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