On the lookout for one thing extra fascinating to do along with your car-loving mates than simply standing round a parking zone on Saturday mornings ingesting espresso? How a few poker run?
By no means heard of 1? Neither had I till I acquired an invite to drive a wide range of W12-powered Bentleys on a “poker run” tour of higher Los Angeles. To be clear, you don’t want Bentleys to do that, nor do you might want to cycle via a wide range of automobiles. You additionally don’t actually need to know how you can play poker, which is sweet, since my data of the sport begins and ends with watching the crew of the Enterprise play it on “Star Trek.”
That is what occurs. Craft a four-stop route of wherever it’s possible you’ll dwell or go to. Espresso or lunch cease, scenic overlook, vacationer spot, buddy’s mansion, no matter. On this specific poker run, we’d be going from the stylish Viceroy Resort in Santa Monica (did I point out we have been driving Bentleys?) to the Griffith Observatory by the use of Beverly Hills, the Sundown Strip and Hollywood. We’d then drive throughout Freeway 101 (an interstate-style street at this level in L.A.) to the Topanga Overlook in Woodland Hills, all the way down to the Cross Creek plaza in Malibu, and out via the Santa Monica Mountains to Calamigos Ranch for lunch. You possibly can see the route map right here.
Was it probably the most dynamic drive on the earth? No, however we noticed some stuff. And at every cease, plus at first, we drew a card from an ordinary deck. With W12 Bentley branding on them no much less. With a fifth and ultimate card drawn at Calamigos, we discarded one to craft the perfect hand attainable. The winner on this case would obtain the primary press mortgage of the limited-edition Bentayga Velocity Version 12, however you might make the prize no matter you need. I knew sufficient about poker (thanks Commander Riker) to know that my hand was in all probability not going to get it accomplished regardless of an ace of diamonds and a joker. My different selections have been 10 of diamonds, two of hearts and 5 of golf equipment. And no, bluffing isn’t allowed even when it could possibly be labored into this. Certain sufficient, I didn’t win. It was a enjoyable solution to spend the day, although, and an thought I’ll strive once more someday with mates.
I’m guessing we received’t be in a colourful assortment of Bentleys, although, which is after all the opposite a part of this story. You see, the venerable 12-cylinder Bentley goes away. The traditional 6.75-liter V12 already disappeared again in 2020 with the Mulsanne, and after 2024, the twin-turbo W12 shall be becoming a member of it. That is the engine that helped re-imagine the Bentley model after it was bought by Volkswagen Group on the flip of the century. Launched in 2002, the W12 was a wholly completely different kind of engine, in probably the most primary of phrases a pair of VW’s narrow-angle VR6 engines spliced collectively to pack 12 cylinders in an space roughly the size of a V8.
That was very important for it to slot in a wholly completely different kind of Bentley: the Continental GT. It was primarily based on the identical platform because the Volkswagen Phaeton (which could possibly be had with a much less highly effective naturally aspirated model of the W12), got here normal with all-wheel drive and featured rounded styling that was a radical departure from the boxy, ye olde Bentleys of the previous. These had been reworked Rolls-Royces, although, and the 6.75-liter was a part of that legacy. The Conti GT and its W12 showcased the longer term.
We after all know what that future would entail. For the subsequent 20 years, a W12 would discover itself in a number of generations of Continental GT, Continental GTC convertible and Flying Spur, plus the Bentayga. Bentley would introduce a brand new V8 and finally a hybrid powertrain, however the W12 remained king with a number of updates and two generations (the second was launched with the Bentayga in 2015). In these 20 years, the W12’s energy has been elevated by 37%, torque improved by 54% and emissions decreased by 25%. It continues to be hand-built in 6.5 hours by a bunch of 60 employees in Crewe, England, who shall be redistributed to different engine manufacturing.
It has been ages since I final drove a W12-powered Bentley, and the primary time I’d pushed the latest-generation Continental and Flying Spur. I’d by no means pushed a Bentayga earlier than. The facility supply actually doesn’t disappoint. The 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 is easy and plentiful with both 626 horsepower (Bentayga and Flying Spur) or 650 hp (Continentals). There’s 664 pound-feet of torque regardless. The exhaust supplies a beautiful rumble, however actually, the sound of the engine itself is simply as underwhelming as I bear in mind. It seems like a V6, which isn’t stunning because it’s mainly two of them. This could be the explanation why so many reviewers (and house owners) through the years have acknowledged they like Bentley’s “lesser” V8 fashions than these with the W12, which is present in the entire Velocity fashions I sampled on the Poker Run.
A extra emotional, characterful automobile just like the Continental GT due to this fact looks like a greater match with the extra characterful V8, even when its ancestor launched the W12 three generations in the past. Alternatively, the W12 appears wasted on the Bentayga, which I discovered underwhelming. For $321,000, I’d need one thing that appears and drives extra particular than what appeared like a particularly fancy Audi Q7 (with a tremendous Damson purple leather-based inside, to be truthful).
The Flying Spur appeared like the perfect match for the W12. This grand sedan is all about quiet, easy motoring, so the engine observe simply doesn’t matter as a lot. On the identical time, that is nonetheless a grand sedan meant for high-speed grand touring in high-quality Bentley custom – if you wish to waft down the street, purchase a Rolls-Royce. The W12’s 626 hp and 664 lb-ft supplied the motivation for a surprisingly adept blitz via the Santa Monica Mountains on Mulholland Freeway. Maybe the attractive British Racing Inexperienced paint and complimentary Porpoise/Cumbrian Inexperienced inside with attractive engine-turned aluminum trim had rather a lot to do with it, nevertheless it was the Flying Spur Velocity that left the strongest impression throughout this poker run.
Because the Rolls-Royce Spectre proved, although, electrical motors are excellent replacements for 12-cylinder engines in huge, ultra-luxurious automobiles just like the Flying Spur. Bentley has dedicated to an electrical future, and in contrast to the transitions of another manufacturers, I don’t suppose this one shall be fairly so dramatic. The W12 could also be going away, and whereas a commendable engineering feat and a succesful efficiency engine, I received’t be lacking it as a lot as different layouts when batteries take over.
In fact, there’ll ceaselessly be one thing unique about an engine that begins with the letter W as an alternative of V, I or H. Whether or not it’s a W12 Bentley, W8 Passat Wagon (sure, that was a factor) or the mack daddy of all of them, the W16-powered Bugatti Veyron and Chiron, we automobile fanatics will at all times be intrigued by that which is completely different and even quirky. You already know, like a poker run.
