Bentley breathing on their W12 to keep up with V8

When Bentley unveiled their new, economical, and impressive V8-powered Bentley Continental, it left pundits wondering one thing: how is the W-12 supposed to compete? Giving just a 67 horsepower advantage and yet commanding a surprising markup, one couldn’t help but think that the old 567-horsepower W-12 just looked a little lackluster next to its newer, lighter, and cheaper alternative. 

So, Bentley’s done the right thing, and given the big 12 cylinder engine a good old fashioned kick in the ass. Or, at least they will. Having released little in the way of details, the smart money is on a similar transformation as that which saw the Audi-sourced V8’s transformation into a proper Bentley engine. Similarly, early rumours indicate the adoption of an eight-speed automatic to replace the aging six-speed currently available, as well as the possible implementation of some sort of hybrid technology. When all is said and done, conservative estimates put the horsepower output at just over 600 for the base model, with Speed and Supersport models broaching 700 and beyond.