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Bentley Mulliner Batur celebrates the W12, previews EV style

Bentley has revealed its second special Mulliner coach-built model, and it represents a crossroads for the brand. It's called the Bentley Mulliner Batur, and it's a sendoff for the core engine for Bentley, the twin-turbo W12. It's also a sign of things to come. The styling you see here will be adapted for Bentley's future electric cars. The car is clearly Bentley right from the get-go. It has the long front end, the prominent, rounded rectangular grille, rearward placed cabin and wide, flowing rear fenders. But it has a more aggressive look than some recent Bentleys. The grille looks as though it's leaning more forward. Instead of round headlights, it has sweptback units that look like eagle eyes. The rear glass, instead of kicking up, stays low along the belt line. The tail has almost a boattail look and has slender taillights. It's Bentley, but it's also new. The inside is clearly closely related to the Continental GT, which is no bad thing. But it can be set apart with special materials. Buyers of the Batur will have the ability to customize almost every aspect of the car with different leathers from different locations, different interior trimmings and upholstery designs. Bentley is offering some very unique materials, too. Metal pieces such as the organ stop vent switches can be made from titanium or even 3D-printed 18-karat gold. Some of the interior trim can be made from a natural fiber composite, which is like carbon fiber, but made from naturally occurring fibers rather than synthetically created carbon. The natural fiber can be used for the front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser as well. And of course the exterior can be customized with just about any paint and graphics imaginable. Bentley says that the Batur is powered by the most powerful iteration of the twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12 yet. It makes 730 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. It's paired with adaptive air suspension, active anti-roll bars, all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, an electronic limited-slip differential and torque vectoring to help it handle as well as it can go in a straight line. Stopping it are a set of carbon silicon carbide brakes with 10-piston front brake calipers and four-piston rears. Only 18 Baturs will be built, and they're all spoken for. Pricing started at 1.65 million British pounds, or $1.95 million. Though there will only be a few of these Baturs, keep an eye out for its design to show up in the Bentley EVs that are coming starting in 2025.

Bentley will race Pikes Peak for the first time — in a Bentayga SUV

Bentley is throwing its hat in the ring for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb first time, saying it's targeting a new SUV race record with its Bentayga. The British luxury marque will enter the W12 version, not the slightly less-powerful V8 version that it recently unveiled, when the Race to the Clouds takes place June 24. The brand's motorsports department in Crewe, England, is working to develop the vehicle for the 12.42-mile assault under the direction of motorsports director Brian Gush. They'll be working with a 2017 model and its 6.0-liter W12 engine, which makes 600 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque and goes 0 to 60 in 4 seconds, its all-wheel-drive transmission, four-mode adjustable air suspension and its 48-volt active anti-roll system. A driver will be announced later. Bentley's motorsports efforts have mostly focused on GT3 versions of its Continental GT coupe, which have a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 powering the rear wheels and goes on sale in June, and on special-edition models like the Continental 24. So it'll be interesting to see how the motorsports crew tunes the Bentayga, which debuted back in 2015 as the brand's first production SUV and the fastest, most powerful entrant in its segment. The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is a grueling race up the famed mountain near Colorado Springs, featuring 156 corners and a finish line at 14,115 feet above sea level. This year will be the event's 96th running.Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 Bentley Bentayga: First Drive View 36 Photos Image Credit: Bentley Motorsports Bentley SUV Luxury Performance pikes peak bentley bentayga Sport Utility

Bentley may develop 500-hp, all-electric sports car

At dinner during the recent press launch for the Bentley Bentayga, CEO Wolfgang Durheimer stood up to discuss potential directions for the Bentley brand. One of them could be an all-electric version of the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept first revealed at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Top Gear reports. According to Durheimer, the Speed 6 concept has received incredible customer response, summed up as, "Stop talking about it and build it." Yet the CEO says Bentley would want to do something even more interesting with the coupe, so an electric powertrain with anywhere from 400 to 500 horsepower is being developed. That's not to say we'll ever see it for sale, but the best minds in the company are working on it. Top Gear says that such a car would probably share innovations developed for the rather lovely Porsche Mission E concept we saw at Frankfurt, resulting in a range of around 300 miles and fast charging capability. Traditional engines would also be developed for those that prefer their Bentleys to play four-stroke combustion notes. The other direction - and if we're wagering we think this one is much more likely - would use the Bentayga platform but be a sharper, edgier take on a crossover. At that same dinner, Durheimer said response to the Bentayga has urged Bentley to increase its sales projections. That makes an even stronger case for the smaller crossover already being considered in January this year and reaffirmed in June. Top Gear thinks that would be an "SUV-coupe" with four doors and more performance. Whichever one gets the nod, it's expected to hit the road in the next three years. Related Video: Featured Gallery Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept: Geneva 2015 View 9 Photos News Source: Top GearImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Green Rumormill Bentley Coupe Concept Cars Electric Future Vehicles Luxury Performance bentley bentayga wolfgang durheimer porsche mission e concept bentley crossover bentley exp 10 speed 6