Bentley Motors has unveiled the Bentley Mulliner Batur - a new two-door grand touring coupé limited to 18 series pieces that embodies the start of a design revolution at Bentley. Created by Director of Design Andreas Mindt and his team, 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 collection of just 18 series examples of the Batur is the latest project by Bentley's in-house bespoke and coachbuilding division, Mulliner, and succeeds the Bacalar - a run of 12 individually specified, designed and handcrafted Barchettas that relaunched coachbuilding at Bentley. Like its predecessor - the Bacalar - the Batur is named after a beautiful natural body of water. Lake Batur is an 88m deep, 16 km2 crater lake in Kintamani on the island of Bali, Indonesia, and provides nutrient-rich water to both local hot springs and agriculture.
A Design Revolution
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. The new form language defines a new chapter for Bentley design, as part of Bentley's Beyond100 transformational journey to become the world's leading sustainable luxury mobility company. The Batur previews the design principles that are driving the development of the company's first BEV - due in 2025 - and the families of cars that follow. Andreas Mindt explains the design: "For any design team, the chance to redefine our own rules is the most exciting challenge. We have reimagined the Bentley design language, keeping some continuity to the past and present while also drastically changing key elements.
The Next Exceptional Mulliner Project
The Batur is the heir and successor to the Bacalar, the 12-off Barchetta design that brought coachbuilding back to Mulliner. Mulliner has become adept at delivering complex projects, including the Bacalar and the Blower Continuation Series - the world's first continuation of a pre-war car. The coachbuilding skills that have been reborn through both projects will combine with generational handcraftsmanship to deliver the 18 Baturs that are to be built, each one entirely and meticulously by hand. Mulliner's in-house design team will co-create every Batur with its customer, working together for several hours 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. From the main exterior paint to the surface finish of the air vents, and literally everything in between, each customer will specify even the tiniest of details.
A Chassis System to Match
As well as being the most power and most exclusive Bentley coupe to date, the Batur will also be the most dynamic. Adaptive three-chamber air springs each have 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.
0 Comments