Bentley has revealed the Torcal, the first fully electric car in its 107-year history and the marque’s fourth model line. Unveiled in London on September 23, the low, sleek SUV was designed, engineered and will be built by hand in Crewe, in the same home that has produced every modern Bentley since the first Mark VI rolled out in 1946.
“The Torcal is a Bentley first and foremost, created by hand by people who care, using the best available materials and technology to blend heritage with cutting-edge innovation,” said Bentley Chairman and CEO Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser. “I believe this is one of the best Bentleys ever.”
Design with Bentley heritage
Led by Design Director Robin Page, the Crewe design team describes the Torcal in four “reads”: proportion, graphics, surface and detail. Long wheelbase and short overhangs give it what Bentley calls “upright elegance,” with an “endless bonnet” and a face that reinterprets the Continental T through an illuminated diamond grille. The clean rear “prestigious shield” first appeared on the EXP 15 concept.
The diamond theme carries inside, where leather, wool, veneer and aluminium sit alongside knurled controls and physical buttons on the centre console and steering wheel. The Torcal is also the first Bentley to wear the marque’s redesigned emblem.
Performance and range
Two permanent magnet motors deliver up to 888 PS and 1,350 Nm, the most torque of any Bentley ever built, and the Torcal reaches 60 mph in as little as 2.8 seconds. Bentley quotes up to 375 miles (600 km) of WLTP range from a 113 kWh battery running at 800 volts, and a 10-80% charge in 16 minutes at 400 kW, or roughly 100 miles of range in seven minutes.
It launches in two forms. The core Torcal makes 821 PS and 1,194 Nm, with 0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds and a 155 mph top speed. The sportier S makes 888 PS and 1,350 Nm with Launch Control active, with 2.8 seconds to 60 mph and a 162 mph top speed. The S adds black exterior brightware, red brake calipers, a rear diffuser and its own interior trim.
For the first time on a Bentley, fully active suspension with adaptive two-valve dampers can raise or lower each wheel independently, aiming for what the company calls a “magic carpet” ride without conventional anti-roll bars.
A soundtrack with a V8 beat
Rather than imitate an engine, Bentley built the Torcal’s sound from real instruments. Its engineers found the rhythm of the 6¾ litre V8 was central to the marque’s appeal, and recorded drums, viola and bass guitar to create the “Bentley Dynamic Symphony.” Even the indicators have a human touch: the click is a recording of a hammer striking leather in Bentley’s upholstery workshops.
British materials and Crewe craft
Working with Fox Brothers, a Somerset firm that has woven fine wool since the 18th century, Bentley developed what it calls the world’s first 100% Merino wool automotive fabric, certified to the Responsible Wool Standard. Mulliner contributes two new finishes: Ombré Walnut, made from up to 1,000 layers of walnut off-cuts and recycled paper, and Sunburst Aluminium, a modern take on the engine-turned dashboards of Bentleys past.
The Torcal will be built on a new production line created inside one of the original Crewe factory buildings, constructed in 1938. The building once housed the machining shop and most recently Bentley’s R&D workshop. It is part of a self-funded investment of more than £350 million in the Crewe site, which employs more than 4,000 people.
Bentley’s release does not give pricing or delivery dates.
Sources: Bentley Motors’ September 23 Torcal release and its September 17 “Built in Crewe” release. Images courtesy of Bentley Motors.
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