The Bentley Batur debuted during the 2022 Monterey Car Week as the brand's limited-run grand tourer. Now, public testing of two prototypes begins in Europe to ensure that the model is up to the company's standards. The development plan includes 120 tests over 58 weeks.
Bentley calls one of these machines Batur Car #0. The engineering team built it exactly like the future customer examples.
Gallery: First Bentley Batur Coupe Testing In Europe
The crew gives it the bespoke body color Purple Sector while keeping the front splitter, side skirts, and rear diffuser in high-gloss carbon fiber. The grille starts as Purple Sector in the middle and flows to the shade Black Crystal on the outer edges. The trim running along the hood and lower windows is in Satin Titanium paint.
The tiny arrows on the body are a unique touch. They let the engineers monitor whether panels move during the vehicle's testing.
Batur Car #0's first job is a big one. It's taking a 1,553-mile (2,500-kilometer) journey starting in Germany and running through Italy, France, and Spain. Then, the car undergoes seven weeks of testing to develop the handling and run the machine at high speeds. After that stint, there's an additional 4,660 miles (7,500 kilometers) of real-world driving.
This development is separate from over 100 weeks of powertrain development. The Batur is the most powerful Bentley production car ever. Its twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 pumps out 730 horsepower (544 kilowatts) and 738 pound-feet (1,000 newton-meters) of torque.
A grand tourer has to be comfortable to drive. It rides on an air suspension. The vehicle also has active anti-roll bars and four-wheel steering. Bentley will work with Batur customers to personalize each of the Baturs. On the inside, the company offers materials like Scottish and Italian leather. The carpets come from recycled yarn. Buyers can even specify 3d-printed 18-karat gold elements.
Bentley will build just 18 Baturs for customers. Each one costs £1.65 million ($2,028,741 at current exchange rates). The first delivery should happen in mid-2023.
