Bentley Batur passes development programme with flying colours

Bentley's Mulliner Batur has at last completed its gruelling whole vehicle development programme, the British carmaker said on Tuesday. This notable achievement serves to greenlight the luxury grand tourer's limited series production run.

Two test mules — Car Zero and Car Zero-Zero — were put through a rigorous testing regime which saw them tackle everything from durability trials on handling tracks and in real-world road conditions, through to 320km/h+ high-speed runs and forays across rough surfaces. Another assessment saw the prototypes subjected to 600 hours of solar loading (equivalent to five years in an Arizona desert) to make sure the materials used in the Batur’s construction are robust enough to endure a lifetime’s use.

Both development mules, each built to the same levels of craftsmanship as the 18 customer cars to come, not only graduated from the programme with flying colours, but proved the durability of two new bespoke paint finishes, as well as more than 800 unique and one-off components over 160 simultaneous weeks of development work.

As TimesLIVE Motoring reported in August 2022, the Batur is based on the same underpinnings as the Continental GT and is assembled mostly by hand at the British marque's famed Mulliner division. Limited to just 18 examples worldwide (every one of which has long been spoken for), this rarefied Bentley showcases the brand's exciting new design language, one that's set to be adopted by its future all-electric models (the first of which is set to be unveiled in 2025). In the same breath, it also celebrates the firm's long-serving 6.0l twin-turbocharged W12 engine, here tuned to deliver more than 544kW and 1,000Nm of torque, figures that make the Batur the most potent road-going Bentley of all time.

This engine is paired to a Porsche-derived eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and exhales through a titanium exhaust, the finishers of which are also 3D-printed in the same metal. 

The Batur also inherits most of the GT Speed's chassis technologies, including the 48-volt anti-roll system, three-chamber air springs with adaptive dampers, rear-wheel steering and a trick electronic limited-slip differential (eLSD) for improved traction out of corners. 

In terms of exterior styling, the Batur steps up to the plate with a dramatic new front end that features an all-new radiator grille (lower and more upright), as well as a pair of smaller teardrop headlamps. The latter represents quite a departure from the larger circular units that have long been found on the conventional Continental GT models. Another unique feature is the new “endless bonnet”: a dramatic design line that, according to Bentley, “stretches from the bonnet along the length of the car, connecting the bonnet into the body, making the car long and lean and giving an elongated proportion to the front end”.

While the designers moved the car's visual mass rearward to impart a sportier aesthetic, they also spliced in all-new taillamp clusters that sit on either side of a deployable spoiler. The rear diffuser, as with the front splitter side skirts, can be ordered in carbon fibre or sustainable natural fibre composite. The Batur sits on 22-inch wheels, with the standard option being painted in Black Crystal, then surface-bright machined and polished. A darker, more menacing option combines dark gloss faces with satin spokes. 

Behind them lurks a Bentley CSiC (Carbon-Silicon-Carbide) braking system, with 440mm front and 410mm rear discs, matched with 10-piston front and four-piston rear calipers. 

The cabin draws inspiration from the current Continental GT and the limited-edition Bacalar that launched in 2021. Personalisation is the name of the game here and clients can choose to upholster their interior with a variety of sustainable materials, including low-carbon leather sourced from Scotland, sustainable tannage leather from Italy (in five colours) and Dinamica, a man-made material designed to mimic suede. Interior brightware can be specced in chrome, dark chrome or titanium, while certain controls (like the organ stops for ventilation) are available in 3D-printed 18-carat gold.

When the Batur was unveiled last year, pricing began at £1.65m (R28m) before any options.