Bentley puts end date on W12 engine production

The British brand will bid farewell the iconic twin-turbo engine with a 551kW final edition

Bentley has revealed that it will cease production of its iconic hand-crafted W12 engine by April 2024.

By the time the over two-decade production of the W12 comes to an end, Bentley would have produced over 100,000 of these engines from its Crewe factory, United Kingdom.

News of the W12’s demise shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, given that the brand has been very vocal about reducing fleet emissions to zero by the start of 2030.

W12 confirmed for 551kW send off

The engine will be farewelled with a final edition in the Bentley Batur, with peak outputs confirmed at 551kW/1000Nm.

With just 18 units set to be built by Mulliner, the Bentley Batur is a fitting finale for an engine that has been a cornerstone of the British brand.

Bentley engine running hot — Bentley’s W12 engine glows red hot under extreme testing

To push the engine to the lofty heights of 1000Nm, Bentley’s engineering team has redesigned the intake, exhaust and cooling systems.

New turbocharger compressors and a heavily revised engine calibration has also contributed to figures never seen before in the iconic engine.

Bentley notes that though all 18 Baturs have already been sold, a limited number of standard W12-equipped Continental GTs are still available for purchase.

Bentley W12 engine being assembled — Assembling the Bentley’s W12 in the factory

Bentley’s history with the W12

As is the case with most products under the Volkswagen Group umbrella, this engine can be traced back to a Golf. This is because it’s made up of a pair of VR6 V6 petrol engines arranged in a ‘W’ formation.

The first application of this W12 in production guise was the 2001 Audi A8, closely followed by the Bentley Continental GT in 2004, where it gained a pair of turbochargers.

Bentley Continental GT Speed drifting — The Bentley Continental GT, powered by the W12

With forced induction, this 6.0-litre engine was first rated to 412kW and 650Nm of torque in 2004, giving the Continental GT a 0-100km/h time of 4.6-seconds.

In 2015, the W12 found its way into the range-topping Bentayga SUV, where it made 447kW and 900Nm of torque.

Bentley Continental GT: prices in Australia

All prices listed are before on-road costs.