Bentley Motors has been in business since 1919 and in that time, has come to be known not only for luxury automobile manufacturing, but for their dedication to speed. Historically known in the sports-racing world, Bentley won four consecutive victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race (1927 to 1930).
Although speed may not be the first thought to come to mind when thinking about electric vehicles (EVs), recent high-performing models like the Tesla Model S Plaid, Audi e-tron GT RS, and Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo Turbo have shown that acceleration speeds well under four seconds (some even lower) are becoming the norm.
Bentley’s CEO, Adrian Hallmark has made even faster claims for their newest EV, though. When the company’s first fully electric vehicle arrives in 2025, it could be looking at insane amounts of horsepower and, subsequently, a frighteningly quick acceleration time.
Let’s take a closer look at the scary fast Bentley EV!
Bentley’s Speed History
Bentley Motors Limited, a British manufacturer, despite being a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group since 1998, has very clearly made their own name in the vehicle world. Responsible for manufacturing luxury cars and SUVs, the maker has split their time between increasing the levels of class and increasing the speed in their models.
Very early in the company’s history, they entered into the racing world. Their first major racing event was the 1922 Indianapolis 500, which they entered with a modified road car. Competing against specialized cars with Duesenberg racing chassis, the Bentley surprisingly completed all 500 miles at an average of 74.95 MPH and finished 13th after starting in 19th position.
Later, in 1926, Captain Woolf “Babe” Barnato invested in Bentley after winning several Brooklands races the year before in his first Bentley (a 3 liter). After dumping more than £100,000 (equivalent to $125,728.50 USD at today’s conversion rates) into the business, Barnato became chairman of the company and continued to encourage continued design with a vested interest in racing.
During this same period, "The Bentley Boys" became a known entity. The group of British motorists included Barnato and several other wealthy men who preferred to drive Bentley cars. By drawing attention to the brand, they kept the Bentley name associated with high performance. Further attention was drawn to the maker when they achieved four consecutive wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race from 1927 through 1930.
The company continued to develop racing specials, including the Bentley Blower and others optimized for racing and speed delivery. Though they suffered through a few more hiccups in development with under tested and occasionally unreliable cars, they were able to bounce back from those issues through the early 1930s.
Bentley took home wins in the Blue Train Races where they competed in races against Le Train Bleu, an express train that ran from Calais and the French Riviera. They were posed through their wins and publicity to continue on this trajectory of racing until the Wall Street Crash of 1929, which put a damper on the desire for expensive cars.
With modernization techniques and a renewed interest in racing, though, the company has continued to bounce back and work towards their prior history of speed. Through focus on producing luxurious automobiles, Bentley has remade their brand and rode their success in the market back towards Motorsports, announcing their newest and most advanced road car, the Continental GT in 2018 for entry into the world of racing.
Super-Fast Acceleration Claims From Bentley’s CEO
In May of 2022, the CEO of Bentley indicated that the first full EV being produced by the company as part of their “Beyond100” strategy stands to be one of the quickest vehicles in the world. Bentley already produces hybrid versions of the Flying Spur and Bentayga models, including a concept design called the “100 EXP GT.” As the newest step forward on the trajectory of speed and innovation that the company has been following nearly since inception, the upcoming battery-electric car is expected to debut in 2025.
Though the model does not yet have a name, if the expectations set by Hallmark are met, you can be sure the name will be well known when it is unveiled. According to the company, the EV will come equipped with up to 1400 horsepower available and will be able to hit speeds of 60 MPH in just 1.5 seconds.
With recent additions to the EV world hitting that acceleration marker in under two seconds already, what might have once seemed like an impossible goal now feels like the next rational step in the EV world of super fast sports car iterations. Hallmark noted that the company’s current speed flagship (the Continental GT) produces 650 horsepower, so they will “double that with the BEV.”
However, he also noted that the speeds can “become nauseous” and, with that in mind, the company plans to optionally throttle the car to reduce the G force to a less sickening 2.7 seconds to accelerate to 60 MPH. This would allow the driver to determine if they would like to take advantage of the “huge amounts of torque on demand” that the EV would offer.
The model will also include, according to the announcement, a very lush interior in line with the Bentley brand as well as extra sound deadening. The car is anticipated to be built on the existing Volkswagen Group electric platform and might not look like the “typical” EV. It is expected to be offered at just over $260,000 and will be followed by four more EVs from Bentley (one each year following the initial release in 2025) as part of their “Five-in-Five” plan.