Blog / History
By the Exotic & Classic Specialists team · · 5 min read
Bentley's 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 debuted in the 2003 Continental GT and was retired in 2024 after more than 100,000 were built at Crewe. Power climbed from roughly 550 horsepower to about 740 in the Batur, and a plug-in hybrid V8 now sits in the Continental GT Speed instead. For owners, the W12 era is now a closed chapter, which makes specialist knowledge of the engine more valuable.
The W12 wasn't born at Bentley. It came out of Volkswagen Group engineering, built from two narrow-angle 15 degree VR6 engines set at 72 degrees to each other. That gives four banks of cylinders and a block that's far shorter than a conventional V12. The Volkswagen Group's WR12 first appeared in a production car in the 2001 Audi A8, and it later went into the Volkswagen Phaeton (2004 to 2011) and the Touareg (2005 to 2010).
Bentley took the idea much further. Sources differ slightly on whether the engine's Bentley debut was 2002 or 2003, but all agree it arrived in the Continental GT, and the Flying Spur followed in 2005. Bentley says its version is about 24 percent shorter than a traditional V12 of similar capacity, which let the engineers fit a 6.0-litre twelve into a car with all-wheel drive and a short nose.
Why does the layout matter to an owner? Because it explains nearly everything about how the engine feels and how it’s serviced. Four banks of cylinders packed into one compact block means a smooth, strong, quiet engine, but also one where the hardware sits close together and shares space with two turbochargers and their plumbing. That packaging choice is the root of both the W12’s character and its reputation for demanding labor.
Bentley engineered its own intake, exhaust, turbocharging and intercooling, and it hand-built the engine at Crewe. Motor1, reporting Bentley's farewell statement, puts the part count at about 2,600 and the assembly time at roughly seven hours. That's a lot of labor for a production engine.
The key change was forced induction. Twin turbochargers gave the original Continental GT around 550 horsepower and a broad wave of torque, which suited a heavy grand tourer.
The Continental GT launched the engine, but the Flying Spur and later the Bentayga (2015 to 2024) spread it across three nameplates. That made it a rare thing: one twelve-cylinder engine carrying a coupe, a sedan and an SUV for more than two decades. Few engines in the exotic and luxury segment have lasted that long in production.
Bentley kept raising the output with each update. Reports describe an uprated W12 in a Continental GT Speed in the late 2000s, and later cars across the Continental GT, Flying Spur and Bentayga ranges carried further revised versions. Exact figures vary by market and model year, so check the build sheet for the car you're looking at rather than trusting a generic number.
The peak came with the Batur, the Mulliner Coachbuilt coupe that carried the final tune. Bentley quotes 750 PS and 1,000 Nm of torque, with other outlets listing the output as roughly 739 horsepower. Bentley describes it as the most powerful W12 it ever developed. The Batur coupe was limited to 18 cars, and the Batur Convertible followed in a run of 16.
The pattern is worth noting. Bentley didn’t chase a revised engine layout each generation. It kept the same basic architecture and kept finding output through turbocharging, calibration and cooling, which is also why a specialist who knows one generation of W12 usually has a head start on the others.
Bentley announced in February 2023 that it would end W12 production in April 2024, citing emissions targets and its electrification plans. Its Beyond100 strategy commits the brand to being exclusively electric from 2035. The last Volkswagen Group W12 was completed at Crewe in July 2024, after more than 100,000 had been built by hand.
A final run of 120 Speed Edition 12 models for the Bentayga, Continental GT, Continental GT Cabriolet and Flying Spur marked the end, with a numbered engine badge and a scale model of the W12 block. The Batur Convertible, which began final sign-off testing in October 2024, is the last Bentley to use the engine.
Bentley also said it would retrain and redeploy the roughly 30 craftspeople who hand-assembled and tested each W12 at Crewe. The engine’s end wasn’t about failure. It was a regulatory and strategic call, and the W12 left as the most powerful version Bentley ever built.
The fourth-generation Continental GT Speed uses what Bentley calls an Ultra Performance Hybrid. It pairs a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 making about 600 PS with a 140 kW electric motor, an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. Combined output is 782 PS and 1,000 Nm, which makes it the most powerful road-going Bentley, ahead of even the final W12 cars on paper.
A 25.9 kWh battery sits behind the rear axle, and Bentley quotes up to 80 km of electric range on the WLTP cycle. It's a very different ownership proposition: more complexity under the skin, much lower emissions and a V8 that sounds nothing like a twelve.
Is it an upgrade? On paper, yes: more power, more torque and quicker acceleration, with Bentley claiming 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds. Whether it feels like one is a matter of taste. Many owners will miss the way a big twelve builds speed without drama. Others will like the electric mode, which Bentley says works at speeds up to 140 km/h.
With production over, the W12 is a known quantity, and the best-maintained cars will keep their appeal. Because the engine is a compact, tightly packaged twin-turbo twelve, service access is tight, and work like spark plugs, coils and ancillary jobs takes longer than it would on a conventional layout. Ask any shop about its W12 experience before you book, and ask for a written scope that includes how they'll check cooling system condition and turbo and boost plumbing.
If you're buying, prefer cars with full service records and ask for a pre-purchase inspection from someone who has worked on the engine before. We'd rather see a lower-mileage car with a proper history than a cheaper one with gaps, because the parts and labor on these cars add up quickly.
Bentley says more than 100,000 were hand-built at Crewe before production ended in 2024.
The Batur Convertible, limited to 16 cars, is described by Bentley as the last model to use the engine.
Bentley quotes 782 PS and 1,000 Nm from a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus an electric motor.
No. The WR12 layout came from Volkswagen Group, and the 2001 Audi A8 was the first production car to use it. Bentley developed its own twin-turbo version.
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