Bentley Ends Production of W12 Engine

After two decades of production, Bentley has commemorated a milestone by handcrafting its final twelve-cylinder (W12) engine.

The Bentley W12 engine debuted for the Continental GT in 2003, while the second-gen W12 saw action in the Bentayga, Continental GT/GTC, and Flying Spur.

The British automaker has announced 120 ?Speed Edition 12? variants of the Bentayga, Continental GT, and Flying Spur as the W12?s final hurrah.

Take a Bow, W12

Bentley hand-built its final W12 engine in July 2024 as the automaker turns a new leaf toward its Beyond100 strategy. Announced in 2020, Beyond100 is Bentley’s commitment to sustainable mobility and carbon-neutral company operations. The automaker unveiled its all-electric EXP 100 GT Concept in 2019 but soon retraced its steps and committed to hybridization, slightly pushing back its initial 2030 all-electrification target.
With a revised plan on the horizon, Bentley has announced the end of production of its famed W12 engine. The automaker treated its staff to a commemorative lunch at the Bentley Heritage Garage to celebrate 20 years of W12 goodness.

?The W12 has propelled our cars and business forward at an exceptional speed and will go down as one of the most important innovations in our illustrious history,? said Dr. Matthias Rabe, Member of the Board for R&D at Bentley Motors.

First introduced for the 2003 Continental GT, the craftspeople at Bentley ha...