In spring this year, Bentley resurrected the Bacalar roadster series after 90 long years of non-production. The Bacalar Car Zero shown here is a first prototype of the production car, and it will continue running serious tests for 20 weeks before the launch.
The car has already made it through the wind tunnel part of the tests, and has demonstrated its acceleration, noise insulation and vibration damping capabilities. It has proven to be quite easy to steer and stable at higher speeds. Next on the list are checks of electronic systems, overall reliability and safety, and thermal stress tests (up to +80 °C / +176 °F).
Created by Mulliner, the Bacalar will come out in a series of just 12 units. The car sports a brand-new body design will all-original components except for the Continental GTC door handles. This means 750 purpose-designed parts, including 40+ carbon-fiber ones.
Under the hood, a six-liter W12 links to an eight-speed DCT to hit the wheels with 650 PS (641 hp / 478 kW) and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft) of torque. Reaching 100 km/h (62 mph) only takes 3.5 seconds, and the top speed is capped at 322 km/h (200 miles per hour).
Each Bacalar will be trimmed with expensive wool, leather and 5,000-year-old wood. Despite the £1.5 million asking price, all 12 units have already been sold out via pre-orders.