Bentley Motors today reveals the third coachbuilt Bentley of the modern era – the Batur Convertible. Created by Mulliner, Bentley’s in house bespoke division and the longest standing coachbuilder in the world, the Batur Convertible follows the exquisitely hand-crafted Bacalar barchetta and Batur coupe. With the Batur Convertible, Mulliner continues its long tradition of crafting truly individual cars, tailored to the wishes of each of its extraordinary clients.
The Batur Convertible furthers the innovative design DNA introduced by its coupe sibling that will ultimately guide the design of Bentley’s future cars. The Batur Convertible retains the most powerful version of Bentley’s iconic W12, with a 750 PS, hand-assembled 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged engine that has metaphorically and literally powered Bentley’s success for the last two decades. With the engine to finish production this summer, the Batur Convertible will be one of the last ever Bentleys to use this incredible powertrain.
Bespoke two-seat grand touring
Bentley has a rich history of open-cockpit cars, from the very first Bentley of 1919, through the company’s foundation years in the 1920s, to the most recent – the Bacalar. The architecture of the Batur Convertible has allowed Mulliner’s designers to seize the opportunity to create a theme that not only blends the design of the Bacalar and Batur but includes the usability of a convertible. The designers also chose to highlight the two-seater character with a ‘wraparound’ cockpit inspired by the design of the Bacalar.
The dramatic ‘airbridge’ behind the seats and tapered cowls at the rear hark back to the barchetta sports cars of old, whilst underlining the promise of a dynamic, driver-focused adventure in a cosseting, cocooned environment. The airbridge and tapered cowls are not only aesthetic, but also provide a semi-enclosed luggage compartment behind the two front seats.
The convertible roof delivers an aesthetic of beauty as a modern, tactile alternative to a hardtop roof. A combination of insulation material, sealing system refinements and acoustic treatments create a cossetting environment in a system which can be deployed or stowed in just 19 seconds, with the car travelling at speeds of up to 30 mph (50 km/h), transforming the car from a luxurious coupe into an open-top Grand Tourer at the touch of a button.
Personal and uniquely commissioned
Mulliner’s in-house design team will help co-create every Batur Convertible with its customer, working together through a specially created Mulliner visualiser that allows any part of the car to be customised in colour and surface finish. Endless samples of unique materials bring texture to the process, and the resulting designs will be truly individual and created by the customer – limited only by their imagination.
Customers will be able to specify the colour and finish of practically every surface of the Batur Convertible, to create a car as individual as they are. Beyond the exterior form of the car lies an almost endless array of choices for each car’s future owner to make.
Paint choice is infinite – starting with the full Mulliner colour palette and travelling beyond into fully bespoke paint and even hand-painted graphics. The exterior brightware can be any mix of light and dark, satin or gloss or even titanium. Another subtle option available is a graduated contrast colour to the front grille, for a vibrant ombre effect.
The Batur Convertible offers further areas to personalise with the unique Airbridge, tonneau cover and roof materials being able to be specified to complement the rest of the cabin and exterior.
In the cabin, the highly exclusive option of 3D printed rose gold includes key driver touch points, such as the Bentley Drive Mode Selector, encircling the start/stop button and used to change chassis modes. The centrepiece of an exquisite cabin, the dial complements the design of the front grille. Rose gold can also applied to Bentley’s iconic Organ Stop vent controls in the dashboard, as well as a rose gold insert marker on the steering wheel itself.
Bentley Mulliner has collaborated with expert goldsmiths based in the historic Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham, England, where jewellery has been made for centuries, to craft the unique parts. This special collaboration highlights Bentley’s ability to combine new, advanced manufacturing technologies with more traditional materials and finishing techniques.
Exclusive and powerful
Each Batur Convertible will be handcrafted over the course of several months in Mulliner’s workshop at Bentley’s carbon neutral factory in Crewe, England. Production will be limited to just 16 pieces, each among the last ever Bentleys to be powered by the company’s iconic W12 engine, in its most potent iteration.
For the W12 powertrain that the Batur Convertible shares with its coupe counterpart, a revised intake system, upgraded turbochargers, new intercoolers and extensive recalibration enables 750 PS and 1,000 Nm of torque, to deliver exceptional performance for this pinnacle grand tourer. This development of the engine is in celebration of its achievements over 20 years, over which time it has been developed to produce nearly 40% more power while fuel economy has improved by 25%. The W12 is paired with Bentley’s eight-speed double-clutch transmission, and a 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.
Batur Convertible Car #0
The engineering development car – Batur Convertible Car #0 – has had the same level of attention to detail as a customer’s own specification. The exterior paintwork is a bespoke colour – Vermillion Gloss over Vermillion Satin Duo tone – that provides a vibrant colour across the contemporary surfaces. The bodywork is underscored by front splitters, side skirts and rear diffuser in high gloss carbon fibre.
The front of the car features a grille of exceptional art – with the main matrix finished in Gloss Dark Titanium, accented with contrast chevrons in a horizontal ombré pattern that flows from Beluga in the centre and lighten to the vibrant sides in Vermillion Gloss. The “endless bonnet” line is finished in Gloss Dark Titanium paint, as are the 22” wheels – with the spokes in Gloss and Satin Black Titanium with Vermillion Gloss accents.