Considered to be the ultimate grand tourer from Bentley, the Batur has recently been reported to have started real-world road trials across Europe. In August 2022, the Bentley Batur made its debut at the Monterey Car Week.
Currently, two development Baturs are going through a grueling program of tests to guarantee the highest standards of vehicle performance and quality. The limited series will only release 18 examples of the Batur and deliveries are scheduled to start around mid-2023 after it completes a rigorous and extensive engineering program.
Validation tests to be done on the Batur include durability for both the engine and the whole vehicle, high speed stability, environmental compatibility & sunlight simulation, noise & vibration, aerodynamics, and driving dynamics. The Batur will go through more than 120 individual tests that will cover everything, from the quality of the surface finish of the gold “organ stop” ventilation controls to the new W12 engine hardware and software. The two pre-series cars will go through more than 58 weeks of vehicle validation which would cover more than 100 weeks of vehicle development that has already been completed to validate the increased engine power. This would make the Batur the most powerful Bentley ever produced with at least 740 PS.
The first activity that Car #0, the first of the two development Baturs, will undergo is an extensive 2,000 km drive across Europe to simulate real world conditions. Starting in Germany, it will travel across Italy, France, and Spain, before high speed testing work will be done at proving grounds.
Mulliner Chief Technical Officer Paul Williams shared, “At the start of the project it was clear that this car had to be the ultimate GT and so every element from the exterior design, engine power and hand-crafted interior has been created without compromise.”
“There are a number of unique features that bring new challenges. For example, the exterior headlamps are very compact LED units and made to our styling teams challenging proportions, which transforms the exterior appearance of the car but are complex to produce. We’re also working with the most powerful development of the W12 in its 20-year history, which brings an enormous validation programme.”
“Even small details such as the angle of the diamond in the front grille representing the cylinder angle in the W12 engine have had to be considered. And even though there will only be 18 Baturs produced, the level of quality has to be identical to every one of the 15,000 cars Bentley is currently producing each year.”
At the proving grounds, Batur Car #0 will go through seven weeks of durability testing on handling tracks, high speed testing, mixed road conditions, and abusive surface conditions. Data and feedback will be gathered during all these conditions to ensure that technical targets are met.
After completing those tests, it will go through another 7,500 kms of real world driving afterwhich environmental testing will start. In a month, Car #0 will go through 600 hours of solar loading – which is roughly equivalent to five years in an Arizona desert. This step is extremely important especially for the new sustainable materials that are being used in the exterior components which were used as carbon fiber alternatives.
When the first customer deliveries start, more than 810 unique parts will have completed 160 weeks of testing and development to be able to produce and deliver the ultimate coachbuilt grand tourer.
Ultimate W12 Grand Tourer
Dubbed as the most powerful Bentley yet, the Batur will have 729+ Bhp (740+ PS) version of the iconic 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 engine which has been powering Bentley’s success for the last two decades.
Bentley has already completed more than 100+ weeks of powertrain development to confirm the new air intake system, revised intercoolers, modified turbochargers, and new calibrations that were done for the engine gearbox and electronic stability control for the ultimate W12 engine.
As the W12 enters its twilight years as part of the Beyong100 transformation journey of Bentley to become fully electrified, the Batur is the first part to celebrate the extraordinary power, torque, and refinement of the W12. Engine performance of the W12 will match the most advanced Bentley chassis, with electric active anti-roll control, Speed-tuned air suspension, four-wheel steering, eLSD, and torque vectoring.
Batur Car #0
All the 18 customer Baturs are reserved, and each one is being designed in close partnership with the client, under the guidance of the in-house design team in Mulliner.
On almost every surface of the Batur, clients will be given the freedom to specify the color and finish of their choice to create a car as unique as they are. Each client can specify even the tiniest details on their Batur, from the main exterior paint to even the surface finish of the air vents, and everything in between.
Batur Car #0, the engineering development car, was given the same level of attention to detail as a client’s own specification. It was given a bespoke exterior paintwork in Purple Sector, giving it a deep vibrant color across its curvaceous surfaces. The bodywork is equipped with front splitters, side skirts, and rear diffuser in a high gloss natural fiber finish.
Batur Car #0’s grille is, on its own, a work of art. Its main matrix has a Gloss Dark Titanium finish with contrasting chevrons in a horizontal ombré pattern as accents that flow from the Purple Sector in the middle which slowly darkens to the sides turning into Black Crystal. The “endless bonnet” line and the 22-inch wheels are finished in Satin Titanium paint, while the spokes of the wheels are in Gloss and Satin Black Crystal to match the grille.
One interesting detail on the Batur Car #0 are the small white arrowheads that can be seen on the edges of the body panels. These markers help give feedback on panel movement and any form of relaxation while it is going through durability testing.
Future of Bentley Coachbuilding
In recent years, the Mulliner Bacalar was the first coachbuilt project that gave important insight into Bentley’s customers and their preferences. For Batur, they developed and added the selection of options which includes colors, materials, finishes, and new technology like the Mulliner by Naim Audio system. They took the Naim Audio system in the Continental GT and completely transformed it with 20 new Focal speakers, custom tuned to provide a really immersive class-leading Audio experience exclusively configured for Batur.
With the combination of high end materials and finishes, the design team really gave the Batur a unique character. They also took a significant step towards sustainable materials and construction methods using Additive Manufactured Gold to sustainable hide and natural fiber veneers.
Advanced manufacturing techniques made is possible to keep the tooling investment to a minimum, which in turn lowers the use of energy and materials in the manufacturing process. Although it is currently still being tested, Mulliner is planning to use natural fibers as an alternative to carbon fiber in some parts of the car. This will result in a significant decrease in the carbon required to produce materials for these specific parts.
For the Batur, sustainability plays a huge part to help drive the development of sustainable features for future generations of coachbuilt Bentleys. In line with their sustainability goals, Bentley will bank on the coachbuilding experience of Mulliner as their platform for innovation.
