The new luxury coupe Batur has already driven: 2.5 million Bentleys can do it

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As if the “ordinary” Continental GT, whether a coupe or convertible, wasn’t eye-catching enough, Bentley is now adding the all-new Batur to the luxury car’s grand finale. In addition to the meticulously modified body and an extra boost in performance, this super coupé offers above all something that raises the regular price nearly tenfold: maximum exclusivity.

90 percent of all Bentleys delivered are customized to customer requirements – and even this wealthy customer is increasingly demanding environmentally friendly materials and drives. No wonder the Batur was sold in limited numbers of 18 before the first arrived at Mulliner’s in-house customization department. Each one is pure, one-of-a-kind you can only dream of, and costs around 2.5 million Swiss Francs!

On-trend personalized luxury

“We ordered a Continental GT Speed ​​from Crewe (UK), removed all body panels except the windshield and front pillars, upgraded the engine, modernized the interior, rebuilt the body by hand – and after four months or so the A Batur was born. before,” says Paul Williams, Mulliner Technical Manager, explaining the coupe’s creation.

Named after a lake in Bali (Indonesia), the Batur is the British luxury automaker’s second limited series after the luxury roadster Bacalar. Interest in such exclusive luxury cars is constantly increasing: Batur attracts customers from all over the world. “We sold four percent more cars in 2022 and our profits increased by 82 percent,” says Williams. “From an average of 180,000 Euros per Bentley sold to about 220,000 Euros in just two years.”

performance increase

The luxury coupé is not just five centimeters longer, nine centimeters wider and slightly lower than the Continental GT Speed ​​- the six-liter twelve-cylinder engine is also increased to 750 hp (552 kW). Last of its kind: from 2025 Bentley will gradually convert its model range to electric drives; From 2030 there will be only luxury electric vehicles.

Of the 40 kilograms Batur is lighter than the Continental GT Speed, 33 kilograms comes from high-tech brakes. Good to know because the 2.2-ton athlete can – if desired – reach a top speed of 337 km/h and reach 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds.

Comfortable and sporty at the same time

The Batur’s chassis comes from Continental GT Speed ​​and has hardly changed compared to the exterior design: the steering is direct and precise enough for a luxury GT. In “Comfort” and “Bentley” modes, Batur offers the perfect softness of a comfortable Gran Turismo. But in the “Sport” program, he turns into an athletic bolide that raises his voice and stretches his muscles – the suspension also becomes noticeably stiffer.

A few dry roads on the test lap show how impressively the all-wheel drive vehicle can push the lush engine power into the ground with a torque of 1000 Nm. Understeer remains pleasantly moderate, and the symbiosis of sound, ride and comfort is downright deceptive, especially when cornering.

Thanks to the excellent sound insulation and double glazing, it is very quiet and quiet on the highway. Now is the time to enjoy the incredible sound quality of the Naim sound system. One of the few options on the Batur surcharge list, and at around 49,000 francs, it’s not wildly expensive.

Exclusivity costs

Overall, the differences between the regular Continental GT – and more specifically the already sporty GT Speed ​​- are pretty subtle. So a millionaire’s dream of changing design is more of a privilege than a larger body and plus performance.

And so customers have already decided: “We can easily sell 40 or more copies, but that undermines their exclusivity and perhaps even undermines a really important trump card: Every Batur is truly unique,” says Paul Williams. 2.5 million for a luxury V12 car really makes Batur special.

Source: Blick