On the lookout for one thing extra attention-grabbing to do along with your car-loving pals than simply standing round a parking zone on Saturday mornings consuming espresso? How a few poker run?
By no means heard of 1? Neither had I till I obtained an invite to drive a wide range of W12-powered Bentleys on a “poker run” tour of higher Los Angeles. To be clear, you do not want Bentleys to do that, nor do you have to cycle via a wide range of vehicles. You additionally don’t really want to know tips on how to play poker, which is sweet, since my information 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 chances are you’ll dwell or go to. Espresso or lunch cease, scenic overlook, vacationer spot, buddy’s mansion, no matter. On this explicit poker run, we’d be going from the stylish Viceroy Lodge in Santa Monica (did I point out we have been driving Bentleys?) to the Griffith Observatory by means 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, right 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 planet? No, however we noticed some stuff. And at every cease, plus at first, we drew a card from a typical deck. With W12 Bentley branding on them no much less. With a fifth and closing card drawn at Calamigos, we discarded one to craft the perfect hand doable. The winner on this case would obtain the primary press mortgage of the limited-edition Bentayga Pace Version 12, however you possibly can make the prize no matter you need. I knew sufficient about poker (thanks Commander Riker) to know that my hand was most likely not going to get it finished 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 option to spend the day, although, and an concept I’ll strive once more someday with pals.
I’m guessing we received’t be in a colourful assortment of Bentleys, although, which is in fact the opposite a part of this story. You see, the venerable 12-cylinder Bentley goes away after 2024. Dubbed the W12 as a consequence of its distinctive cylinder orientation, 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 completely totally different sort 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 completely totally different sort of Bentley: the Continental GT. It was based mostly 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 customary 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 in fact 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 can 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 ample with both 626 horsepower (Bentayga and Flying Spur) or 650 hp (Continentals). There’s 664 pound-feet of torque regardless. The exhaust offers a beautiful rumble, however truthfully, the sound of the engine itself is simply as underwhelming as I keep in mind. It feels like a V6, which isn’t stunning because it’s principally two of them. This might be the rationale why so many reviewers (and house owners) over time have acknowledged they like Bentley’s “lesser” V8 fashions than these with the W12, which is present in the entire Pace fashions I sampled on the Poker Run.
A extra emotional, characterful automobile just like the Continental GT due to this fact looks as if a greater match with the extra characterful V8, even when its ancestor launched the W12 three generations in the past. Then again, 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 be aware simply doesn’t matter as a lot. On the identical time, that is nonetheless a grand sedan supposed for high-speed grand touring in positive 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 beautiful engine-turned aluminum trim had lots to do with it, nevertheless it was the Flying Spur Pace 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 massive, ultra-luxurious vehicles 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 can 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.
After all, there’ll without end 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 totally different and even quirky. You realize, like a poker run.
