Bentley says that it plans to carry on building its W-12 engine for the foreseeable future, with a senior manager telling us that the company plans to be the “last manufacturer of 12-cylinder engines in the world.”
And it probably will be, even though Mercedes-Benz has told us it has a similar goal. Bentley now assembles W-12 engines for the entire Volkswagen Group—although it uses the vast majority of them itself—and will also lead future development. Sources within the company tell us that the 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged unit will soon switch to direct injection, but otherwise it should be able to meet all forthcoming emissions standards on both sides of the Atlantic.
Although the W-12 was first seen in the Audi A8 and the Volkswagen Phaeton in the early 2000s (after being previewed in the spectacular Volkswagen W12 Syncro supercar concept of 1997), it has become most associated with Bentley, powering the brawnier versions of the Continental and Flying Spur ranges. And as the company’s forthcoming SUV will also be offered with a W-12, production is actually set to increase. Bentley made 5000 W-12s last year, but that’s likely to rise to about 9000 once the SUV comes online. Outside of Bentley, the only new car still using the W-12 are range-topping versions of the Audi A8, which sells in tiny volumes.
Power outputs are likely to increase slightly—the recently launched Continental Speed has 616 horsepower—although we’re told that the biggest restriction on boosting output is the torque limit of any transmission the engine is fitted to. That said, Audi is reportedly working on a 600-hp ‘Plus’ version of the 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 it shares with Bentley, which we imagine is getting a bit too close for comfort.
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Of course, Bentley has a proud history of keeping engines in production for decades, and the W-12 is still a spring chicken compared with the company’s venerable 6.75-liter V-8, which, in heavily modified form, is still going strong in the Mulsanne, 55 years after it was introduced. Oh, and we’ve been told to expect a Speed version of the Mulsanne next year.
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