We’ve known this day would come for a while, but it doesn’t make it any easier: after 21 years and over 100,000 production units, Bentley has produced its very last 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12 engine.
The W12 was the backbone of Bentley for much of its modern renaissance under the VW Group’s ownership. Its unusual W layout – four banks of three cylinders, rather than the two banks of six found in traditional V12s – allowed it to be more compact and shorter than other contemporary 12-cylinders, while still producing similar power.
The W12 debuted in the original Continental GT in 2003
VW had played with the layout before with its series of W12 Syncro, Roadster and Nardò supercar concepts, but it was the original Bentley Continental GT that the engine would make its production debut in in 2003. Back then, the engine ws making 552bhp and 479lb ft of torque, enough for a 4.8-second 0-62mph run and a top speed of nearly 200mph.
Over the years, it grew in power, getting a thoroughly overhauled second generation in 2015 ahead of the launch of the Bentayga SUV, in which it was the top engine for much of the car’s life. In its final, most powerful form, nestled under the bonnet of the limited edition Batur, power and torque were up to 740bhp and 738lb ft, respectively.
The W12-powered Continental GTC, Bentayga and Flying Spur
It wasn’t just limited to Bentley, either – over the years, versions of the W12 would also find their way into the Audi A8 and Volkswagen Phaeton and Touareg. Its noughties devotion to the unconventional W layout would also see VW fit a smaller 4.0-litre W8 to the Passat and, of course, a larger 8.0-litre W16 to its revived Bugatti models – an engine which itself will soon be superseded.
As for the W12, it’s being replaced in the new Continental and other future Bentleys by a new plug-in hybrid powertrain, which sees a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 combined with an electric motor for a peak of 771bhp. It’s an undeniably impressive setup, but we’re going to miss the W12 – it’s not just another twelve-pot consigned to history, but one of the most unique engines ever to make production.
