Gallery: Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept Geneva motor show
One of the stars of this year’s Geneva Motor Show is bound for the open road, but not with the bottomless well of torque in a 6.0-liter W12 engine: Bentley intends to build its two-seat EXP10 Speed 6 concept car and offer it for sale, with an all-electric plug-in powertrain.
Bentley Motors chairman Wolfgang Dürheimer confirmed Speed 6 production plans during the recent Bentayga SUV press launch. Final board approval is pending, but the 6 is well into development at Crewe, England. Dürheimer also said the two-seater expands Bentley’s lineup, rather than replace an existing model like the now-venerable Continental GT.
Named in homage to the Bentley Speed Sixes that created an archetype at LeMans in the late ’20s, the new Speed 6 was the pleasant surprise at Geneva in March; in fact we named it our Best in Show from the show. It surprised partly because Bentley gave its debut not the slightest advance hint, and partly because it’s a stunner. Shown in a deep metallic British Racing Green, the big, bold 6 blends Bentley styling staples with cues from other classic British marques in what our Graham Kozak labeled “the emerging British GT vernacular.”
The 6’s cockpit is stunningly lavish even by Bentley standards, and it’s packed with a gorgeous set of fitted luggage. At the time, Bentley offered nothing as to what might sit under its concept car’s tightly sealed bonnet.
Now we know, sort of. We might speculate that the Speed 6 will get a synchronous electric motor for each wheel like the Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell or the long anticipated Audi R8 e tron. That would be speculation, though. Dürheimer provided no further details on the Speed 6’s propulsion system, or on its development timeline, except to say that when it debuts it could deliver range up to 300 miles per charge.
