The Bentley Batur Convertible Is a Gorgeous W-12 Hair Dryer

Bentley's W-12 engine continues its farewell tour. One of its last shows is in Batur, named after a crater lake in Kintamani on the island of Bali, Indonesia. It's essentially a droptop version of the Batur coupe launched in 2022 but even more exclusive. The cabrio is limited to 16 units whereas the model with a fixed roof was built in 18 examples.

Although it's not the final Bentley to rock the twin-turbo, 6.0-liter engine, the Batur Convertible is among the very last models with the twelve-cylinder powerhouse. It uses the most potent iteration of the W-12 to date, packing an astounding 740 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque. Predictably, the cabrio matches the grunt delivered by the coupe. The massive engine will be sunsetted sometime this summer.

The venerable TSI engine has been around for more than 20 years, during which it's gained nearly 40 percent more power while fuel consumption has gone down by 25 percent. All that oomph is routed to the road via an eight-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission tailored perfectly for a lavish grand tourer. Bentley's engineers crafted the whole Akrapovič exhaust system from titanium, and that includes those huge 3D-printed exhaust finishers.

All the official images show the Batur Convertible with the roof folded but we do know there's a soft top tucked away behind the seats. It takes just 19 seconds to lower or raise the roof by simply pressing a button. The procedure can only be done while the vehicle is traveling at speeds of up to 30 mph. The Crewe-based automaker promises infinite personalization options by customizing every inch of the car.

Bentley offers the car strictly with a two-seat layout whereas a Continental GT Convertible is more practical by accommodating rear passengers. Compared to the coupe with its active rear spoiler, the new derivative with infinite headroom has an integrated ducktail spoiler. The 22-inch wheels have a different design and there’s now a tonneau cover concealing the fabric roof when folded.

The ultra-luxury British brand says this Batur Convertible Car #0 prototype is just as fancy as the subsequent production cars. It wears a striking Vermillion Gloss satin paint job combined with glossy carbon fiber accents. Inside, there are rose gold inserts to match your iPhone. The posh cabin with its fair share of conventional buttons, triple old-school dials, and an analog clock takes after the Continental GT Convertible.

Bentley remains tight-lipped about pricing but surely the Batur Convertible costs at least the $2.1 million the Volkswagen Group brand charged for the sold-out coupe. That's quite the premium considering a Continental GT Speed Convertible starts at around $330,000.

Although the W-12 is sadly going away and the V-10 of the Huracan/R8 will follow shortly, VW still has large-displacement engines. The Revuelto with its V-12 has a long life ahead while Bugatti is about to introduce a new V-16 hypercar to replace the Chiron.