Yahoo Autos 740-HP W-12–Powered Bentley Batur Is Last Stop before EVs
Bentley's limited-edition Batur will be limited to 18 coupes, based on the Continental GT but with all-new bodywork.
The Batur gets a 740-hp, 738-lb-ft version of Bentley’s long-lived W-12 engine.
As is the norm these days among new-car reveals, this one is showing the future design direction of forthcoming EV models.
UPDATE 6/20/23: Final output figures for the Batur's W-12 are 740 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque.
It might seem odd to be looking at a car powered by a 740-hp W-12 engine and thinking about EVs, but that is what Bentley is ordering us to do with the Batur, a limited-run coupe that has just been unveiled at Monterey Car Week. Because, while the Batur is still powered by sweet, sweet hydrocarbons, we're told that it showcases the design direction the British luxury brand is planning to take as it develops its first full EV, which is due to arrive in 2025.
Beneath its all-new bodywork, the Batur is based on the floorpan and mechanical package of the existing Continental GT. Just 18 will be built by Bentley’s bespoke Mulliner division, and all have already been reserved by clients, none of whom was apparently put off by the base price, which translates to $2.1 million at current exchange rates. We’re told that at least some of those customers already own examples of Mulliner’s previous Conti-based limited run, the roof-free Bacalar from 2020. The speed at which the speedster sold out its even more restricted run of 12 cars encouraged Bentley to commission more of the Batur, and it seems likely that additional ultra-exclusive models will follow.
Resting Beast Face
Like the Bacalar, the Batur is named after a body of natural water, in this case Lake Batur, a 290-foot-deep crater lake in Kintamani on the Indonesian island of Bali. Award yourself a geography point if you already knew that. The muscular aesthetic is the work of a small team led by Andreas Mindt, Bentley's recently arrived director of design, with a reimagined style language that seeks to combine elegance and the projection of power. What the company refers to as a "resting beast stance: picture a lion or tiger laying low in attack position in long grass."
