A new coach-built Bentley powered by a W-12 engine will debut May 7.
The unnamed new model will be a follow-up to the limited-edition Bacalar speedster and Batur coupe, and like those cars it will be built by Bentley's Mulliner personalization division. Production will be limited to just 16 examples, compared to the 12-unit Bacalar and 18-unit Batur production runs.
The new coach-built model will be among the last Bentley production cars with the automaker's 6.0-liter twin-turbo W-12 engine, which is being phased out this year. Last year Bentley announced Speed Edition 12 versions of the Bentayga, Flying Spur, and Continental GT coupe and convertible to commemorate what has been the automaker's signature engine for the modern era.
Teaser for new coach-built Bentley debuting May 7, 2024
Bentley previously said the Batur would get the most powerful version of this engine, so perhaps the new coach-built Bentley won't match the coupe's 730 hp and 740 lb-ft of torque. Output could be closer to the 650 hp of the Speed Edition 12 model.
Bentley introduced the W-12 in 2003 with the first-generation Continental GT. By the time production comes to an end this year, the automaker estimates that more than 105,000 examples will have been built. Bentley hasn't said what powertrain will replace the W-12, but rumors center on a plug-in hybrid setup with a turbocharged V-8.
The plan is to eventually replace even the plug-in hybrids with EVs, although Bentley recently delayed a previous goal of making that happen by the end of the decade. It now plans to debut its first EV in 2026. Considering the positive response to the Bacalar and Batur, which sold out quickly, coach-built Bentleys could continue in the EV era.