Yahoo Autos Hail Zebulon! Bentley to Offer Limited Pikes Peak Bentayga
Piloted by ascent veteran Rhys Millen, a Bentley Bentayga took home the production-SUV record at the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Millen wheeled the portly native of Crewe, England, up the 12.42-mile mountain road in 10:49.9. The feat was significantly more sedate than the ripping 7.57.148 set by the Volkswagen Group’s other major entrant in the event, the bonkers Volkswagen ID.R driven by Romain Dumas, but the purpose-built EV was also constructed with every advantage in mind. Millen’s ride, by contrast, was a stock Bentayga (except for required safety gear and tires) that you, dear wallet-stuffed pedestrian, could walk right into your local Bentley store and drive away in. In fact, Bentley has decided to make it easy on you and will offer a limited-edition variant of its luxo-ute that mimics Millen’s mountain-conquering machine.
Opt for one of the 10 Pikes Peak Bentaygas to be constructed, and you’ll have to supply your own racing seats, roll cage, fire-suppression system, Akropovic exhaust, and R-compound Pirellis, but otherwise, the folks at Mulliner are more than happy to hook you up. Pikes Peak models will be available in either Beluga Black or the matte-green Radium paint that the racing ute wears. The 22-inch wheels are finished in Beluga with Radium accents, while the interior’s done in Beluga with Key Lime accents. The doors get Alcantara inserts, and the steering wheel and shifter are trimmed in the microfiber synthetic suede as well. The headliner is crafted from a “technical” cloth called Eliade, which presumably refers to the outdoorsy-sport nature of mountain climbing.
The Pikes Peak comes in Bentley’s Black Specification, which substitutes blacked-out brightwork in place of chrome and adds a carbon-fiber splitter, side skirts, diffuser, and rear spoiler. The front fenders, interior, and doorsill tread plates get numbered Pikes Peak logos.
The rest of the Pikes Peak is standard Bentayga stuff. Under the hood is a twin-turbo 6.0-liter W-12 that routes 600 horsepower through an eight-speed ZF transmission and on to all four wheels. It also features air suspension and Bentley’s 48V anti-roll control system. Although the Akropovic system on Millen’s car is an off-the-shelf unit, the 10 cars sold to the public will feature a factory sport exhaust. The order books open in August for customers in the United States and Europe, but it might not hurt to put in a call to your dealer today if you’re serious about parking a Peak in your carport.
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