By THATCAR.co.za
I was asked a question by some non-car lover.
He asked — and notice I said he. I just don’t understand guys who don’t like cars anyway — he asked:
“What is the point of expensive cars?”
I paused.
He continued:
“I mean, we both get to where we’re going.”
I suppose my pause gave him VUMA to say:
“Yeah, I got you.”
He continued:
“If you have air-con, comfortable seats and a comfortable ride, why do you need some expensive car?”
On a fundamental level, he is right.
Why do you need an expensive anything?
A banana leaf can be your roof.
Sure.
But I think expensive cars, watches and houses are what drive the human spirit — the desire to want greater things.
They drive us to wake up and work hard.
It’s a holiday and I’m here typing away!
Why?
In the hope that one day I can afford a BENTLEY.
YEP, BENTLEY HAS DONE IT AGAIN
The company from Crewe, England, has taken a hand-built car, thrown in some ESKOM under the bonnet, and the results are…
Well, here is what you need to know.
The Car
The Bentley Torcal is Bentley’s first fully electric vehicle.
It sort of looks like the Bentayga, but it’s a bit smaller and has a square face.
And if you follow us, you know we love square faces.
I mean, have you seen Superman?
They all have chiseled, square faces!
The Engine/Electricity
Every time one thinks of an EV, the first question is:
RANGE.
We’ll get there.
Let’s excite you first.
The Torcal is quick.
Remarkably quick.
It has a 0–60 mph time of just 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 162 mph.
In South African terms, that’s 0–100 km/h in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of around 260 km/h.
Okay, let’s put that into perspective.
The Porsche 911 Turbo S 992.2 does 0–100 km/h in around 2.5 seconds.
Do you get how fast this Bentley is?
So, it has a 13 kWh battery and makes a maximum of 875 horsepower.
That’s around 644 kW.
And Bentley claims a range of 600 kilometres.
Claimed.
We don’t believe that.
Our general rule is to take the claimed figure and knock off around 30% to get a more realistic real-world figure.
That would still give you roughly 400 kilometres.
And you know what?
That’s still superb.
Interior
It’s a Bentley.
It has no engine.
So, it’s quiet, with cows looking at the hide and feeling envious.
As you can imagine, inside it’s a blend of traditional English craftsmanship and technology that even a teenage boy will find sufficient.
Bentley knows that with the scrumptious leather, the already-quiet cabin and no engine noise, you might forget you’re driving and think you’re sitting in your comfortable armchair at home…
…and doze off.
So, they’ve added custom synthetic soundscapes, including turn-signal ticks recorded from leatherworking hammers and an artificial powertrain soundtrack produced by a human drummer mimicking a V8 firing order.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Or did we mention that you can order yours with 100% automotive-grade merino wool seat inserts, alongside traditional leather hides?
These are complemented by 16-way power front seats featuring heating, ventilation and massage functions.
The rear cabin introduces a three-passenger power-folding rear bench for the first time in a Bentley, paired with an opening, dimmable panoramic sunroof.
The doors feature multi-activation power opening and closing with integrated obstacle-detection sensors.
Price
We’re not sure just yet, but the Canadian price is around 280,000 Canadian dollars.
So, we’re placing it somewhere around R4–R5 million.
And we’re going to get it.
Some housewife in some estate has just read this and shown it to some husband who came home late last night…
Good luck, buddy. 😂
Verdict
If you’re one of those people who thinks like Bob…
Oh, did I not mention that the person who was asking me why I need an expensive car was Bob?
Well, Bob, if you think you don’t need a car like this, I say:
Bob, you just can’t afford it.
Because, like me, if you could…
I’d be at the Bentley store tomorrow speccing mine.
