First customer Bacalar W12 engine completes testing

- First W12 engine destined for Bacalar completes production testing at Bentley’s centre of excellence for W12 engines
- Bentley’s W12 is the most advanced 12-cylinder engine in history
- Producing 659 PS (650 bhp) and 900 Nm (667 lb.ft) of torque
- W12 engine development has increased power by up to 27 per cent, torque by 38 per cent and reduced emissions by 28 per cent since 2003
- Each engine passes through three specific test regimes before fitting to a vehicle
- More than 100,000 W12 engines have been handbuilt at Crewe since 2002, producing more than six million horsepower

Producing 659 PS (650 bhp) and 900 Nm (667 lb.ft) of torque, the engine for the first customer Bentley Mulliner Bacalar has now completed assembly and production testing at Bentley’s centre of excellence for W12 engines.

The Bacalar spearheads a return to coachbuilding by Bentley Mulliner and features an enhanced version of Bentley’s peerless 6.0-litre, W12 TSI engine, the most advanced 12-cylinder engine in the world.

Since the first introduction of the twin-turbocharger W12 in 2003, the refinement of the engine has seen an increase of up to 27 per cent in power, 38 per cent in torque and a reduction of 38 per cent in emissions.

This has been realised through evolution and optimisation of the crankcase, improvements in the oil and cooling systems, twin-scroll turbocharging technology and more effective injection and combustion processes.

Each W12 engine is hand-built over 6.5