Bentley unveils Batur as lightest car in 85 years

It’s the lightest Bentley in 85 years.

The new Bentley Batur, revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, strips out 400 kilograms of weight compared with the Flying Spur it replaces. Bentley calls it the company’s most focused grand tourer yet—a stripped-out engineer’s indulgence built for pure driving feel, not luxury bulk. The move marks a pivot for a brand long associated with hand-stitched leather and veneered dashboards, toward lighter, more agile machines.

The shift comes as Bentley faces pressure to slash fleet emissions under EU rules. Its parent company, Volkswagen Group, has set strict CO₂ targets by 2030, pushing every brand to shed weight and add electric power. The Batur’s aluminum-intensive body and carbon-fiber hood cut mass, while its twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8—shared with Porsche—helps meet efficiency goals without ditching performance. Bentley’s boss, Adrian Hallmark, has said the firm will go fully electric by 2030, but until then, it needs lighter, nimbler combustion cars to bridge the gap.

Inside the Batur, the weight savings are visible. Thin carbon-fiber seats replace thick leather, digital displays replace analog dials, and sound-deadening material is trimmed. Yet Bentley still offers optional leather-wrapped everything and diamond stitching—because some habits die hard. The car weighs 1,975 kg, about the same as a modern Porsche 911 Turbo but with a 6.0-litre V12 in some markets. Early reviews call it raw, revvy, and surprisingly nimble for a four-seat coupe.

Bentley plans to sell just 150 Batur coupes a year, priced from £250,000. It’s a halo car meant to prove the brand can build sharper machines without abandoning its DNA. Next, Bentley is expected to launch a lighter, electric version of the Flying Spur in 2025. For now, the Batur stands as a statement: even a 99-year-old British marque can get lean.