By Otsile Kadiege

Bentley recently lifted the veil off the heir of the Bacalar – the all-new, bespoke Mulliner Batur. The Batur is a sleek two-door grand touring coupé limited to 18 series pieces that embodies the start of a design revolution at Bentley.

Shaping the Bentley’s of tomorrow

The Batur is a showcase of a new design DNA that will ultimately guide the design of Bentley’s future range of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). The design of the Batur is the work of Bentley’s Director of Design, Andreas Mindt, and his team including Head of Exterior Design, Tobias Suehlmann and Head of Interior Design, Andrew Hart-Barron. The Bentley design DNA that has driven the creation of the Continental GT, Flying Spur and Bentayga families has been revolutionised for the Batur, introducing new themes, approaches and details.

Some exterior highlights of the Batur include aerodynamic additions of front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser which can be crafted in carbon fibre or the new sustainable Natural Fibre composite, a large grille with a contrasting colour for a vibrant ombre effect, the “endless bonnet” line finished in Satin Titanium paint, unique Satin Titanium 22-inch wheels with the spokes in Satin Dark Titanium to match the grille and slim head and taillights.

A cabin tailored to customer’s specifications

Inside, the two-seat interior space of the Batur is designed for ultimate personalisation and long-distance grand touring. Inspired by the success of the interior design of the Bacalar, the Batur builds on the core elements of the Bacalar’s cabin design and adds new sustainable luxury features.

The interior of the launch Batur has been trimmed by hand in a stunning combination of black, red and orange – specifically, Beluga, Hotspur and Hyperactive. A complementary texture is provided through the use of Dinamica – a suede-like alternative to leather – in both Beluga and Hotspur. Unique “Batur Chevrons” to the outer wings of the seats are finely embroidered by hand in Snap Orange thread, whilst the remainder of the upholstery carries a white thread in contrast throughout. The soft elements are completed with a new feathered artisan piping in Beluga, with Hyperactive Orange piping to the seat centres and a Hyperactive Orange finish to the lower spoke of the steering wheel.

The veneers to the Instrument Panel, fascias and doors are Gloss Black painted, with a ‘guitar fade’ to Fine Brodgar that flows from the fascias to the doors, before fading back to black. The fascia is completed with a unique piece of art – a laser-etched sound wave, which represents the unique sound generated by the W12 engine. The metallic elements of the interior are a blend of Black Anodised Aluminium and Satin Titanium, completed with a hallmarked 18 karat gold Bentley Dynamic Drive Selector and ’12 o’clock’ steering wheel centre band.

Mighty W12

The Batur is powered by a 6.0-litre W12 which has been hand-crafted in Bentley’s carbon neutral factory in Crewe, England. The powerplant now makes 544 kW (740 ps) of power and 1,000 Nm of torque thanks to a new intake system, upgraded turbochargers, new intercoolers and extensive recalibration.  For the Batur, the W12 is paired with Bentley’s eight-speed double-clutch transmission.

Bentley also fitted the Batur with sports exhaust to provide a soundtrack in keeping with the level of performance. The entire exhaust system is in titanium, while the finishers are 3D-printed in titanium in a first for Bentley.

According to Bentley the Batur will also be the most dynamic coupe to date thanks to adaptive three-chamber air springs each having three switchable chambers, changing the volume of the air spring and so its effective stiffness. The driver can select the balance between ride comfort and body control using the four-mode Drive Dynamics Control in the centre console, choosing between Sport, Bentley, Comfort and Custom.

The Drive Dynamics Control also changes the behaviour of the 48V electric active anti-roll control system, which can provide up to 1,300 Nm of anti-roll torque in 0.3 seconds or completely decouple the wheels at either end of each axle. The anti-roll control system can also be used to adjust the roll stiffness front-to-rear, giving the Batur sharper turn-in and greater ability to balance the car on the throttle when in Sport mode.

Overall traction and cornering grip is maximised through the use of an electronic Limited Slip Differential (eLSD) that actively vectors drive torque across the chassis. This is complemented by torque vectoring by brake, whereby the car can lightly brake the inside rear wheel on turn-in for greater front-axle response, and also lightly brake both inside wheels on corner exit to move power across to the outside, loaded wheels for better traction.

Braking is via Bentley’s CSiC (Carbon-Silicon-Carbide) braking system, with 440 mm front and 410 mm rear discs, matched with 10-piston front and four-piston rear calipers. The Batur rides on bespoke 22″ wheels with Pirelli tyres.

Exclusivity

The Batur was unveiled at Bentley’s Signature Party at Monterey Car Week, in front of almost 500 VIP guests, by Bentley’s Chairman and Chief Executive, Adrian Hallmark. It’s limited to only 18 examples which have already been reserved. Each one will be designed collaboratively with each customer, guided by Mulliner’s in-house design team.