Photo: Bentley
Bentley has recently focused on its new twin-turbo V8 engine, which has been developed together with Audi, but this doesn’t means that the carmaker’s well-known W12 powerplant is left to rust. The automotive producer is planning to offer certain enhancements for the 6-liter unit in order to keep it alive in this eco-obsessed era.
Ralf Frech, Bentley’s technical director, recently told What Car? that the company is looking to follow the same pathway it did with the new V8.
“The W12 can have the same improvements as the new V8. Fitted to the Continental range it could see improvements to fuel economy and power, possibly taking it close to 600bhp,” the executive was quoted as saying by the aforementioned source.
Previous media reports indicate that Bentley is currently working to develop a new eight-speed automatic gearbox that would replace the current six-speed one.
The executive also said that the company might go down the hybrid pathway: We are looking at the possibility of a hybrid, particularly a plug-in hybrid, but we are waiting for the next generation of technologies because none of the current solutions work.
“The W12 can have the same improvements as the new V8. Fitted to the Continental range it could see improvements to fuel economy and power, possibly taking it close to 600bhp,” the executive was quoted as saying by the aforementioned source.
Previous media reports indicate that Bentley is currently working to develop a new eight-speed automatic gearbox that would replace the current six-speed one.
The executive also said that the company might go down the hybrid pathway: We are looking at the possibility of a hybrid, particularly a plug-in hybrid, but we are waiting for the next generation of technologies because none of the current solutions work.
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