THE car that gives a clue to the look of Bentleys of the future has been revealed at the Monterey Car Week in the United States.

The Batur is a two-door grand touring coupe created by Bentley's director of design Andreas Mindt and his team with styling cues that will be used in the company's future range of battery electric vehicles.

With a price tag starting from £1.65 million before taxes, just 18 examples will be produced by Bentley's Mulliner coachbuilders at its works in Crewe, Cheshire.

Like the Bacalar convertible - of which only 12 were made - the Batur is named after a natural body of water. Lake Batur is an 88m deep, 10 square milecrater lake in Kintamani on the island of Bali, Indonesia, and provides nutrient-rich water to both local hot springs and agriculture.

The Batur is the most powerful Bentley yet, with a 740+ps version of the hand-assembled 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine that has powered Bentley's success for the last two decades.

As the engine enters its twilight years as part of Bentley's Beyond100 transformation to being fully electrified, the Batur forms the first part of a celebration of the W12's extraordinary power, torque and refinement.

Engine performance will be matched to the most advanced Bentley chassis ever, with Speed-tuned air suspension, electric active anti-roll control, eLSD, four-wheel steering and torque vectoring.

Precise performance details are still to be released but it is likely the Batur will be capable of more than 200mph.

The Batur was unveiled at Bentley's Signature Party at Monterey Car Week, in front of almost 500 VIP guests, by Bentley's chairman and chief executive, Adrian Hallmark, who said: "The Batur is a significant car for Bentley. Far more than the heir to the highly successful Bacalar, the Batur showcases the design direction that we're taking in the future as we develop our range of BEVs. Andi Mindt and his team have reimagined the classic Bentley design cues into a stronger, bolder design that remains both elegant and graceful.

"Beneath the beautiful exterior lies the most powerful engine we've ever developed. Our W12 engine is easily the most successful twelve-cylinder automotive engine in history, and as it approaches its retirement to make way for future hybrids and BEVs, we want to mark its accomplishments."

All 18 Baturs have already been sold and deliveries are due to commence in the middle of 2023.