Twenty lucky generationally-wealthy Bentley buyers will get the opportunity to own the exclusive lightweight Bentayga Apex Edition by Mulliner, a car Bentley is calling its “most dynamic Bentayga ever.” While the Apex gets a bespoke bodykit, the major difference is found in the reduced unsprung weight from 22-inch carbon fiber wheels and carbon ceramic brakes. It’s the most track-ready gigantic SUV that Bentley has ever made. It makes sense, because it’s built from the same MLB Evo chassis as the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT and the Lamborghini Urus Performante.
Based on the Bentayga S, this new Apex Edition is powered by the same 4-liter twin-turbo V8 with 542 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque. It’ll run from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds, and on to a top speed of 180 miles per hour. It isn’t significantly faster than the standard Bentayga, but Bentley says the carbon wheels deflect at one fewer degree per lateral g of load, so it should ostensibly grip better through the corners.
I don’t know what focus group bullshit Bentley has been listening to recently, but who has been begging for a one-point-seven percent lighter Bentayga that can go around a track faster? Are Bentayga customers looking for performance advantages at Spa or Silverstone? I’m struggling to determine the point of this ridiculous machine. Why drape a hefty pig of a luxury people-hauler in gobs of carbon fiber for the sake of a few tenths at the Nurburgring? Is it for my-dick-is-bigger-than-yours contests? And where does it end?
In 2024 car enthusiasts are encouraged to buy lifted sports cars and track-ready SUVs. The engineers and marketeers are continuing their long march toward the end of enthusiasm altogether, building more absurd oxymoronic vehicles ad infinitum. I hate it here. Get the fuck off my lawn.