Bentley announces an “Ultra Performance Hybrid” powertrain to replace its long-serving W-12 flagship and promising greater performance than ever for a road-going model.
The new V-8 gas-hybrid system claims more than 740 hp, at least 89 hp more than the W-12 previously offered in the Flying Spur and GT W-12 Speed derivatives. The automaker also promises a “four-figure” torque output from the cross-plane cranked engine. It claims more than a 50-mile (80-km) electric-only range and will deliver a WLTP drive cycle CO2 figure of under 50 g/km.
Bentley is holding back full technical details on the powertrain until it's closer to series production but does tell us it will build on its existing hybrid powertrains. So, it’s probably employing a similar 4.0L twin-turbocharged double-overhead-cam gasoline engine married to the hybrid system using electric motors.
Bentley’s 6.0L twin-turbo W-12 heads toward retirement this summer, with 105,000 engines built over the past two decades.
