New Bentayga Speed sets a Goodwood Hillclimb Record
- New performance flagship of the Bentayga line-up completes hill run in 55.8 seconds despite wet conditions
The new Bentayga Speed has proven its credentials as the most powerful and most dynamic Bentley SUV yet by setting a new record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. - Becomes fastest ICE-powered SUV in Goodwood Festival of Speed history, proving its claim as the most dynamic Bentley SUV yet
- Peak speed of 130 mph during record run
- Uprated twin-turbo V8 delivers 650 PS and 850 Nm
- Top speed of 193 mph (310 km/h)*, 0-60 mph in 3.4 secs
- Record set by in-house Bentley specialist Andy Marson
Crewe
(Crewe and Goodwood, 11 June 2025) The new Bentayga Speed has proven its credentials as the most powerful and most dynamic Bentley SUV yet by setting a new record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Despite partially wet conditions last Sunday, ahead of the opening of the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the 650 PS Bentayga Speed completed the hill run in 55.8 seconds, officially becoming the fastest ICE-powered production SUV ever to tackle the Goodwood hill. The time beats that of the previous W12-powered Bentayga Speed – which was set in the dry – by almost a second, proving the abilities of the car’s new and advanced chassis and powertrain. Not only that, it beats the official times recorded by all other ICE production SUVs ever to run at Goodwood. In fact, the only gasoline SUV to ever go quicker was Bentley’s own Pikes Peak Bentayga, which was a one-off specially modified for the purpose.
The Bentayga Speed’s twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine produces 650 PS and 850 Nm of torque, accelerating the car to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 193mph (310km/h)*. The new Bentayga Speed also features significant advances in dynamic capability – with an enhanced SPORT chassis mode and a new ESC Dynamic setting that brings maximum driver involvement and the choice between enhanced road-holding or the ability to slide the car on-power. The emphasis was very much on the former during the car’s record run, driven by Bentley colleague Andy Marson – a vehicle dynamics specialist and the marque’s most experienced Goodwood driver.
Despite the second half of the course being wet thanks to pre-run rainfall, Marson set a new benchmark time for an SUV, with a committed run that saw a peak speed of 130 mph before braking for Molecomb.
The new Bentayga Speed
The Bentayga Speed’s new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine delivers exceptional performance, with peak power of 650 PS / 641 bhp / 478 kW and a 0-60 mph time of just 3.4 seconds. These figures comprehensively surpass those of the Bentayga V8 S (4.4 seconds) as well as the 3.9 second mark set by the previous W12-engined Bentayga Speed. Peak torque of 850 Nm (627 lb.ft) is delivered between 2,250-4,500 rpm, with the characteristic Bentley “torque plateau” delivering the effortless wave of acceleration that’s a constant of Bentley performance.
The engine isn’t just more powerful than its predecessors – it’s also more characterful. As standard the Bentayga Speed is fitted with a Sports exhaust system, which delivers a rich, powerful engine note that complements the eager character of the High Powered V8 and promotes a deep sense of driver engagement. This exhaust can be distinguished externally by two elliptical tailpipes emerging through the rear diffuser. For an even more thrilling soundtrack, the optional Titanium Akrapovic Exhaust accentuates the power, drama and potency of the V8, with its aural expression of the performance that awaits at the merest flex of the throttle. This system features quad tailpipes.
Of the three driving modes available to drivers of the new Bentayga Speed, both COMFORT and BENTLEY modes remain unchanged in calibration compared with other Bentayga models, to retain exceptional day-to-day and grand touring competency. SPORT mode however is significantly enhanced, delivering increased steering response, roadholding and driver connection, enhanced by a 15% increase in suspension damping stiffness. Enhanced SPORT mode enables the driver to exploit the power of the V8 engine more fully when cornering and to experience the exceptionally agile turn-in capabilities of brake torque vectoring.
For the ultimate in braking capability and driver engagement, optional carbon ceramic brakes allow the selection of ESC Dynamic in SPORT mode, which relaxes ESC intervention to permit exhilarating drift angles or power-on oversteer where appropriate. Torque vectoring by brake allows for a sharper turn-in, and more power to be put to the road during corner exit – with improved driver confidence going hand-in-hand with the extra agility. Also included in ESC Dynamic programming is Launch Control, a first for any Bentayga model.
The Bentayga Speed now includes all-wheel steering. At low and medium speeds, the rear wheels are steered in the opposite direction to the front wheels to aid a rapid change of direction, noticeably increasing the feeling of agility and reducing the turning circle. The steering feels sharper, and a commensurate increase in steering feel provides greater driver confidence. At high speeds, the rear wheels steer in the same direction as the front, to improve stability.
Taken together, the new SPORT mode enhancements, optional carbon ceramic brakes, ESC Dynamic software and all-wheel steering set new levels of agility, roadholding and driver engagement. As the performance flagship of the line-up, Bentayga Speed simply recalibrates all one’s expectations of handling, roadholding, acceleration and steering response for a luxury SUV.
Distinctive exterior features of the new Bentayga Speed include dark tint brightware, bright chrome Speed badges on the leading edge of the front doors, and 22” Speed wheels in either dark tint or silver (the latter being a no cost option). Unique Speed headlamps feature dark tint internals and a dark tint bezel, while tail lamps are grey, again with a dark tint bezel. For the first time in Bentley’s history, a 23” Speed wheel is optionally available when carbon ceramic brakes are specified, and these come in a choice of grey satin, black or black and bright machined finishes. Painted calipers in a choice of seven striking colours are also available standard brakes and when choosing the carbon ceramic brake option.
*When fitted with carbon ceramic brake option
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The History of the Winged B
The elements of the Bentley iconography have always been the same – a prominent B at the heart of the design, flanked by a pair of feathered wings. When W.O. Bentley started his car company in 1919, he needed an emblem that summed up his quest to push the boundaries of performance. He turned to his friend F. Gordon Crosby, the most famous motoring artist of the pre-war years, who brought distant motor races and continental tours to life for readers of The Autocar. Crosby created the original Winged B – with the ‘B’ of Bentley inside a pair of wings chosen to represent the exhilaration of motion – and perhaps also a reference to W.O. Bentley’s background as a designer of engines for fighter planes in the First World War. Crosby gave each wing a different number of feathers to make it completely unique – and stay one step ahead of fraudulent imitations.
When Bentley passed into the ownership of Rolls Royce in 1931, a new emblem was created. This second iteration was symmetrical, with 10 straightened feathers each side, flanking a simpler B in a plain black oval. This version is the longest-standing example in the company’s history, in use until the emblem’s third revision in circa 1996 – when, as a nod to Crosby the central ‘B’ was revised to echo the original, the emblem became more ornate and more pronounced curvature returned to the wings.
Following the purchase of Bentley by the Volkswagen Group in 1998, the emblem was redesigned again in preparation for the first Continental GT, launched in 2002. For the new era of Bentley ushered in by the Continental GT – a car that took annual production from 1,000 cars to 10,000 – a new Winged B was created. This honoured the 1919 original by reverting to an asymmetric design, with 10 feathers to the left an 11 to the right. This Winged B has been in use ever since as the main identity of Bentley.
Bentley’s 2025 Winged B will have two debuts next week. First, it will be officially unveiled at Bentley’s campus in Crewe, England on Monday 7th July, as part of the opening of Bentley’s new, state-of-the-art Design Studio. This three-storey development has been created within the original headquarters building of the factory, first built in 1938. On Tuesday 8th July, the new concept car will be revealed, as the first Bentley model to wear the new wings. Details will be announced via press release and on www.bentleymedia.com.
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