The most sought-after luxury car manufacturer in the world is Bentley Motors. All of the company’s activities, including design, R&D, engineering, Mulliner, and manufacture of the company’s five automobile models, the Continental GT, Continental GT Convertible, Flying Spur, Bentayga, and the Bentayga EWB, are located in Crewe, England. UK luxury automotive brands such as Bentley combine fine craftsmanship, inherited skills, engineering prowess, and advanced technology. Bentley Works in Crewe employs around 4000 people. It is an example of British manufacturing at its best.
Bentley’s Batur roadster has begun real-world testing across Europe, beginning December 2, 2022. The Batur has been on display at events for Bentley customers, global media, and the public since Monterey Car Week in August 2022. The testing programme is now in its second phase to ensure the highest standards of vehicle performance and quality. Deliveries of the limited batch of 18 vehicles are scheduled for mid-2023, after an extensive engineering programme is finished and signed off.
Durability of the engine and entire vehicle, environmental compatibility and sunlight simulation, high speed stability, aerodynamics, noise and vibration, and driving performance are all part of the validation process. From the quality of the gold “organ stop” ventilation control surface finish to the new W12 engine hardware and software, more than 120 tests cover everything from the driving dynamics to the new W12 engine hardware and software. Validation of the two pre-series vehicles has been scheduled for over 58 weeks, supplementing 100+ weeks of vehicle development to validate the new engine power, making the Batur the most powerful Bentley in history with at least 740 PS.
Beginning in Germany and traversing Italy, France, and Spain, Car 0’s first development activity will cover 2,500 kilometres of road driving to replicate real-world conditions. After high-speed testing is finished at testing grounds, the route will finish at Turkey’s border.
‘Mulliner is committed to producing the finest bespoke cars in the world,’ says Paul Williams, Chief Technical Officer.
It was clear from the start that this vehicle had to be the ultimate GT, and every element from the exterior design, engine power, and hand-crafted interior has been created without compromise.
There are a number of unique features that make the exterior appearance of the car unique. The exterior headlamps are difficult to manufacture because they are tiny LED units with challenging proportions to match our styling teams’ demands. We are also working with the most powerful version of the W12 in its 20-year history, which comes with an extensive validation programme.
Even the smallest details, such as the angle of the diamond in the front grille representing the cylinder angle in the W12 engine, had to be taken into account. Although there will only be 18 Baturs produced, every one of the 15,000 cars Bentley currently produces annually must have the same level of quality.”
At the proving grounds, Batur Car 0 will undergo seven weeks of durability testing on handling tracks, mixed road conditions, high-speed testing, and abusive surface conditions. During all of these activities, data and feedback are collected to ensure that the technical targets are met.
Driving on real roads prior to environmental testing is scheduled to take place after proving ground work is finished. Environmental testing will take place after four weeks of 600 hours of solar loading – the equivalent of five years in an Arizona desert – on the car. This is particularly significant for the new sustainable materials used for the car’s exterior components, rather than carbon fibre.
More than 800 unique parts will have been tested and developed for over 160 weeks by the time the first customer deliveries occur, creating the ultimate coachbuilt grand tourer.
The Pinnacle W12 Grand Touring vehicle
The Batur will be the strongest Bentley ever, with a 729+ Bhp (740+ PS) version of the iconic, hand-built 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 engine that has symbolically and literally sustained Bentley’s success for the last two decades.
More than 100 weeks of powertrain development have already been undertaken to verify the new air intake system, altered turbochargers, revised intercoolers, and new engine gearbox and electronic stability control calibrations for the W12 pinnacle version.
With the W12 reaching the end of its life as part of Bentley’s Beyond100 transformation journey to becoming fully electrified, the Batur is the first phase of a celebration of the engine’s exceptional power, torque, and refinement. The most advanced Bentley chassis ever will be paired with an engine that delivers the same performance, with Speed-tuned air suspension, electric active anti-roll control, eLSD, four-wheel steering, and torque vectoring.
The vehicle called Batur was zero-emission.
All 18 cars in the Batur line are already taken. Each one is being created in conjunction with one of the customers, guided by Mulliner’s in-house design group.
Every surface on the Batur can be specified using colours and finishes to create a car as unique as the customer themselves. From the primary exterior paint to the finish of the air vents, everything in between will be specified down to the smallest detail.
The development vehicle – Batur Car 0 – has received the same level of attention to detail as a client’s customised choice. The exterior paintwork is customised with a unique colour – Purple Sector – that provides a deep, vibrant colour across the complex curves. The bodywork is emphasised by front splitters, side skirts, and rear diffusers finished in a glossy, natural fibre material.
The front of the vehicle is enhanced with Gloss Dark Titanium grille components, accented with chevrons in a horizontal ombré pattern from Purple Sector to Black Crystal, which flow from the centre to the sides. The “endless bonnet” line is finished in Satin Titanium paint with the 22” wheels, which have spokes in Gloss and Satin Black Crystal to match the grille.
Small white arrowheads at the edge of body panels are not provided on Batur Car 0. These markers provide feedback on panel movement and any relaxation during durability testing.
The future of custom coachbuilding is looking bright.
The Mulliner Bacalar was the first coachbuilt vehicle in recent years, providing much information about Bentley customers and their preferences. In Batur, even more alternatives have been produced, including colours, materials, and finishes as well as new technologies such as the Mulliner Naim Audio system. This technology is taken from the Continental GT and customised with 20 Focal speakers to provide an authentic, immersive class-leading audio experience.
The Batur is distinguished by a unique character created by combining high-end materials and finishes. Using Additive Manufactured Gold as a sustainable material and sustainable hide and natural fibre veneers are significant steps towards sustainable material and construction methods.
Due to the use of advanced manufacturing techniques, tooling investment can be kept to a minimum, resulting in lower material and energy usage in manufacturing processes. In some areas of the vehicle, Mulliner wish to employ natural fibres as an alternative to carbon fibre, pending successful testing. This would result in a substantial reduction in carbon required to produce the materials.
Using Mulliner’s coachbuilding experience as a foundation for innovation, Batur’s sustainability aims to drive the development of sustainable features for future generations of coachbuilt Bentleys.
