For 20 years, Bentley’s roaring success has been underpinned by the sheer energy and class of the 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 engine. Not solely is that this engine strong and environment friendly, but it surely additionally gives an unparalleled degree of refinement, setting new benchmarks for its class. The compact W12 has been the efficiency lifeblood of Bentley for the reason that debut of the long-lasting Continental GT in 2003.

Nevertheless, because the revered car producer embarks on its formidable Beyond100 technique in direction of complete electrification, the celebrated W12 is gearing up for its swan-song. Manufacturing is about to attract to an in depth in April 2024, signalling the tip of an period for this stalwart of Bentley engineering.

To mark the tip of the highway for the W12, Bentley invited GTspirit to benefit from the newest era Continental within the Swiss/French Alps, earlier than I headed again to Crewe, within the UK, to strive a number of extra W12 highlights which have been produced previously two-decades.

The primary era of Continental GT was sport changer, not only for the definition of what a GT automobile was, but additionally for Bentley. The Continental GT was the primary automobile to depart Crewe following the change of possession, the corporate was not beneath the management of Rolls-Royce following a sale to Volkswagen in 1998 for £479,000,000, a deal which concerned Ferdinand Piech… you will have heard of him.

Piech was adamant that Bentley ought to revolutionise the GT automobile section, one thing that was realised with the unveil of the Bentley Continental GT on the Geneva Motor Present of 2003. When Bentley was taken over by VW in 1998 the corporate delivered 414 vehicles. On the 2003 unveil, they took 3,200 deposits for the £110,000 Continental GT.

So, what’s it like behind the wheel 20 years on? Nicely, first impressions are that the inside nonetheless feels opulent, don’t get me unsuitable, you’d imagine it two-decades previous, however the match and end are glorious. The identical could be stated for the way in which this automobile drives, it’s offered, weighty and fairly a pleasure to be behind the wheel… till you are feeling simply how sluggish and gearshifts are, thats the first element that exposes a vehicles age. What doesn’t age is the ability and torque of the 6.0-litre twin-turbo 48-valve W12 engine. Sure, it could weigh in at 2,385 kilos, however when you’re on the transfer there may be sufficient hoof underfoot to push you that little bit deeper into the plush drivers seat.

I used to be impressed by the usual automobile, after which I used to be given the keys to the Supersports… that is involuntary expletive territory. In a daring quest to discover the untapped potentials of the Continental GT, Bentley’s Engineering Division launched into a clandestine mission, the Supersports mission. Their goal? To probe the efficiency implications of a weight-reduced GT. The mission’s promising early outcomes captured the eye of the Board, resulting in the green-lighting of this thrilling enterprise.

The freshly-minted Supersports emerged, outclassing all earlier first-generation Continental GT fashions in energy and weight. Sporting shiny new alloy wheels, carbon fibre-reinforced Silicon Carbide (CSiC) ceramic disc brakes, and a streamlined two-seat cockpit full with carbon-fibre framed seats, the car achieved a surprising weight lack of roughly 110 kilograms.

The Supersports flexed its muscle tissues with a whopping 621bhp, because of a finely tuned engine administration system and enhanced airflow administration. Including to its efficiency credentials was a novel Quickshift transmission, which catapulted the car from 0-100km/h in a blistering 3.7 seconds, shaving practically a second off the 4.6 second report set by the Continental GT. The Supersport feels fast by any commonplace, a brute in a go well with with Bugatti Veyron seats and child Veyron energy, though the gearbox was nonetheless considerably sluggish.

Subsequent up was one other Supersports, this time from the second gen. You could suppose Bentley performed in secure and turned issues up a contact from the primary era. Incorrect. The world acquired its first tantalising glimpse of this breathtaking car on the Goodwood Competition of Pace in 2017. 5-time Le Mans champion Derek Bell had the honour of navigating this beast via the legendary hillclimb, marking a momentous public debut for the Supersports.

The Continental Supersports delivered a heart-stopping 700 hp at 6,000 rpm and 1,017 Nm of torque between 2,050–4,500 rpm. It featured a ZF 8-speed computerized, which was a lot snappier than that discovered within the earlier generations. The automobile’s stopping energy was entrusted to carbon silicon carbide discs, cooled by an enhanced system, measuring 420 mm (17 in) on the entrance and 356 mm (14 in) on the rear.

Including to the Supersports’ high-performance persona have been its 21-inch cast alloy wheels, elective titanium exhaust system, a state-of-the-art torque vectoring system, and a precisely-tuned dynamic suspension set-up for max grip and agility. The end result was a lightning-quick 0-100km/h dash in simply 3.4 seconds, whereas its prime pace maxed out at an exhilarating 336km/h. With the 2017 Continental Supersports, Bentley as soon as once more pushed the boundaries of luxurious efficiency autos. A particular point out to that exhaust, that is the one Bentley I’ve pushed that pops and bangs on downshifts it’s very naughty and shocking to be in a Bentley that does this, amusing!

That takes me again to my drive on the present, and remaining iteration of the Bentley W12 which I loved within the French & Swiss Alps. Trying again, my impressions throughout the entire W12 Bentleys I’ve piloted are overwhelmingly comparable. Every automobile has an easy feeling of functionality and reassurance that everytime you select the gearbox will kick down and couple of gears and that W12 will fireplace you towards the horizon with no fuss or drama.

The most recent iteration of Continental GT with a W12 is an expertise that’s tough to check to its GT rivals, the engine is an getting into marvel and I can be unhappy to see it depart the vary as Bentley retires it. There’ll eternally be a spot in my coronary heart for the W12, notably within the first gen Supersports!