The limited edition Bentley Batur coupe is being tested ahead of a planned start of deliveries in mid-2023.
Two development cars will undergo more than 120 individual tests, totaling 58 weeks of testing between the two vehicles, Bentley said in a press release. These tests evaluate things like high-speed stability, aerodynamics, cabin noise, durability and material quality.
The first development vehicle – Car #0 – started the test program with a 1,553-mile drive across Europe, from Germany via Italy, France and Spain. This is followed by seven weeks of durability testing at Bentley’s proving ground, then a further 4,660 miles of real world driving.
Bentley Batur tests
According to Bentley, Car #0 will also be exposed to 600 hours of direct sunlight over four weeks, the equivalent of five years in the Arizona desert. The Batur features some new materials such as: B. Natural fibers are being considered as a more sustainable replacement for carbon fibre, and this part of the testing program will give engineers a better idea of how they will hold up over the long term.
Despite being a development car and not being delivered to a customer, Car #0 is finished just like the production cars inside and out – including a bespoke paint color called Purple Sector. The only clues to its role as a test car are small white arrows affixed to the exterior, allowing engineers to track any body panel displacement.
For the Batur, Bentley’s well-known 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 is matched to 730 hp and 740 lb-ft of torque, giving the Batur the highest performance of any road-going Bentley. That extra power comes from a new air intake, modified turbochargers and revised intercoolers. Stability control has also been recalibrated. All of these changes were validated over a 100-week development period, according to Bentley.
Bentley Batur tests
Unveiled during Monterey Car Week 2022 in August, the Batur serves as a bridge between Bentley’s internal combustion engine past and its electric future. It’s based on the bones of the Bentley Continental GT Speed, but its design previews future electric models, the first of which is slated to hit the market in 2025.
Only 18 Baturs will be built for customers, and every slot has already been filled, despite an estimated price of $1.95 million each. The testing program might seem like a lot of effort for such a small number of cars, but it’s mandatory for every new vehicle. Bugatti, a fellow Volkswagen Group brand, for example, recently completed a similar development process for its Centodieci hypercar, limited to just 10 units.