Bentley is discontinuing the famed W12 engine, and one of the last cars to be fitted with the engine has just arrived in Malaysia. You’re looking at the final Bentley Bentayga Speed to make its way onto our shores, ahead of the engine’s planned end-of-production in April next year as the carmaker pivots into sustainable and green luxury motoring.
The arrival of the final Bentayga Speed marks an important milestone for Bentley Kuala Lumpur, as it’ll be the last W12-powered Bentayga model here in Malaysia. As a celebration of the W12 engine, each hand-built over six and a half hours by a team of craftspeople, we’ve been treated with some pretty pictures to drool over.
In the Bentley Bentayga Speed, the 12-cylinder behemoth of an engine pushes out 635 hp and 900 Nm of torque, with power transferred to all four wheels via an all-wheel drive system and an eight-speed automatic gearbox to propel the 2.6-tonne luxury SUV from 0-100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds, onward to a top speed of 306 km/h.
Complementing the W12’s raw grunt is the revised Sport driving mode, which takes advantage of the Bentayga Speed’s active 48V anti-roll system, all-wheel steering, and adaptive air suspensions to further elevate the SUV’s sporty performance on track – you’d be surprised how agile the massive SUV can be, as we experienced on a soaking wet track in South Australia! Check out that video here.
As the pinnacle of Bentley’s luxury SUV range, the Bentayga Sport W12 also looks the part with model-specific bumpers and roof spoiler, alongside blacked out details on the outside including its head- and tail lights, radiator and bumper grilles, fender trims, as well as the 22-inch wheels.
The owner of this particular unit also opted to have the ‘Speed’ badging on the front doors finished in black for a more sinister look, especially with the unique black and dark maroon two-tone paint job. There’s no mistaking it for the V8 version though, if not for the glorious noise, then with the quad oval tailpipe exits at the back.
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Inside, the Bentley Bentayga Speed turns up the aggression with the use of Alcantara material for its upholstery, in addition to the dark duotone leather all throughout the cabin – black and maroon in this instance, matching its exterior colourway.
The signature Mulliner diamond quilting is contrasted with grey cross stitching here, while the ‘Speed’ badgings and embroidery on the seats complete the Bentayga’s unique sporty-yet-elegant interior.
The order books for the Bentley Bentayga Speed W12 has closed worldwide in July this year, which means you won’t be able to get one of these any more… brand new from the factory, anyway.
If you still want to get your hands on a W12 engine, the best way to do so is with the 2023 Bentley Continental GT Speed, which only made its debut in Malaysia earlier this year – but be quick, because again, Bentley is saying goodbye to the W12 in April next year.
ALSO READ: 2023 Bentley Continental GT Speed launched in Malaysia – Crewe’s sportiest model in history
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