Bentley Continental GT W12 - Inside the Factory | Full Documentary

it's England's most exclusive supercar its enormous performance is concealed behind its exclusive design and muscular appearance to drive it is to feel alive bigger stronger and more masculine its 12 cylinder Biturbo engine catapults the British car along the road at up to 330 km/h and then with the Bentley you want to demonstrate style and class on the hi-tech assembly lines in the plant the technicians make dreams come true what badly does we stretch the boundaries good is not good enough for Bentley what it needs is the finest wore the finest leather and the finest veneers that are available pride and passion run through each fiber of the Bentley Continental GT and that is etched into the faces of the technicians the best grand tourer in the world [Music] deep in England between Manchester and Birmingham lies Crewe this little town is the headquarters of the official supplier of vehicles to the English royal family Bentley on the inside the magic of the venerable plant premises dating from 1938 is combined with ultra-modern industry 4.0 technology in an area covering five hundred and twenty thousand square meters four thousand employees produce around eleven thousand luxury vehicles here per year since 2018 1000 of them have been building the new Continental GT the British grand tourers roll off their very own production line [Music] the entire interior of these luxury cars is also produced in this plant the exquisite equipment fitted in the mighty sports coupe A's demands traditional craftsmanship and high quality material modern high-tech machines ensure the necessary high precision work a new Continental GT is available to own from two hundred thousand euros the grand tourer is the third generation of Bentley's all-wheel drive vehicle six hundred and thirty five horsepower catapult the luxury coupe a which weighs around 2.2 tonnes from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds the 12 cylinder by turbo gives the vehicle a top speed of 333 km/h on the road overhead cranes bring a new vehicle framework to the assembly line every nine minutes the very first operation step is specific to Bentley the employees remove the British cars fenders this enables them to install the headlamps into the front end from the rear later on three workplaces further on these technicians are fitting the wiring harness in the vehicle weighing in at forty five kilos this loom has to be lifted into the body shell using a crane the luxury sports cars electrical backbone supplies the vehicle dynamics control system the steering system the all-wheel drive and the on-board electronics with electricity a Continental GT is fitted with numerous electronic helpers the luxury car contains more than eight kilometres of cables its internal electronic architecture encompasses 2300 circuits and ninety two control units within the given cycle time of nine minutes the employees join up around 200 plug connections the luxury coupe Hayes nerve system is then good to go the electrical circuit also supplies the displays and control panels of the luxury cockpit the new display in the Continental GT is a globally unique construction it's a rotating information panel that is seated in the dashboard on the interior this is the most special features probably the rotating display in the middle that's three sides many cars have covers over their display but we're the only car that develops a three-sided display so you can have completely clean surface if he wants all the digital information if he wants or a third side we can have three analog dials to give it a more classical appearance and that as you can imagine was a very difficult thing to develop but we made it so that the sensitive dashboard isn't damaged when it's being installed the assembly team first covers the instrument panel with leather mats a worker then moves a special handling device to the instrument panel the technician uses it to insert the dash panel which is veneered with fine wood into the body shell the handling device helps to position the dash board absolutely precisely in the cockpit the tolerance value between the chassis and instrument panel is just 0.1 millimeters the emerging Bentley proceeds on its way in an assembly cage it transports the naked skeleton to the next station via a rail on the plant ceiling this marks a crucial step for the new Continental the high-performance drive system and the luxury body are brought together and tie the knot before the two components can be married employees pre assemble the powertrain on a steel frame next to the main assembly line [Music] like pieces of a puzzle all of the twin branch exhaust systems individual components fit precisely into the predetermined slots on the carriage the core element is the enormous drive unit consisting of the powerful 635 horsepower 12-cylinder engine the dual clutch transmission and independent wheel suspension 92 experts produce the power plants for all Bentley models in the plants internal engine Department a team of 24 engineers is specialized in the Continental engine the crew assembles the Biturbo units each weighing 315 kilos on a separate line [Music] the Continental GT obtains its power from a 635 horsepower engine with a displacement of 6 litres the power plants 12 cylinders are distributed between two v-shaped banks this double V produces what is called an artificial w12 engine this unit is particularly compact and shifts the vehicle's center of gravity 10% towards the rear axle as a result the Bentley's weight around 2.2 tonnes is distributed evenly over both axles this means that the luxury coupe a remains stable on the road even when taking tight corners a driverless transport system carries the bare engine block to the assembly line the device recognizes the lane marking on the shop floor by means of a front mounted sensor this enables it to transport the engine from station to station first the engineers install the crankshaft each unique powerplant is made up of decades of experience and the latest technology it's getting that blend of combination based on our volume from using the latest technology that's right for us but also using the skills that we've gained over generation to generation certain colleagues here that work on the engine line their father used to work here making engines their grandfather used to work here makin engines so here in Crewe we've got a wealth of experience each crankshaft is unique because minut deviations that influence the dimensions of the component arise during manufacturing Bentley compensates these tolerances so that later on all of the engines components intermesh like the gear wheels in a clock mechanism by matching the dimensions of all elements to one another they make sure that the engine runs absolutely smoothly when it's completed that's what this machine is for here the employee is inserting twelve connecting rods for a continental engine they also have my new material deviations which the automatic machine now compensates it takes the dimensions from the crankshaft measures this and it selects different thicknesses of bearing whatever the crankshaft needs the employee clamps the connecting rod the bearing cap and the piston in the machine and starts it three cameras scan a QR code on the components the system uses this to call up the stored dimensions and selects bearing shells that correct at different dimensions and adjust the connecting rods to one another the automatic machine then mounts the steel rings on the connecting rod and greenlight says it's okay so the Machine gives its go for assembly when all of the connecting rods are as identical as possible to mechanics then install the dozen Pistons in the 12 cylinder bores the piston rings and contact surfaces are lubricated with a special oil the technician on the other side bolts the connecting rods to the crankshaft later on an explosion in the cylinder sets the connecting rods in motion they then drive the crankshaft whose rotation determines the vehicle's torque the technician uses this crank to move the assembled ranks of pistons this enables him to check that the cylinders do not come into contact with the cylinder wall later on this could otherwise lead to severe engine damage in the form of piston seizure the men now tightened the final bolts after that the basic engine is almost complete over the next few hours the power plant will be fitted with all of its vital components the oil pan rounds off the basic engine at the bottom two camshafts are installed in each of the cylinder heads which this worker is mounting they regulate the supply of fuel to the engine the twenty four man crew shares this work with robot colleagues they are for example tasked with applying adhesives and sealing compounds onto the lightweight design elements all components are aimed at increasing performance this includes the Continental power plants two turbochargers they use a compressor like this to force compressed air into the combustion chamber to enable an optimum fuel air mixture Bentley's engine builders produce around 30 w12 by turbos per day when fully assembled the high performance unit consists of around 294 individual elements the Englishman subject each power plant to complicated test procedures for the final performance test the first hot test the employee transports the enormous engine into a safety chamber there he couples it to the test facility then he closes the door during the test the engine reaches high temperatures in the worst case an explosion can occur if anything is faulty now real fuel flows through the engines veins for the first time the powerplant runs through all drive modes and speed levels on the display the tester checks important parameters such as the oil pressure the torque the output and fuel efficiency the procedure takes around 21 minutes then the power plant has passed the test after a cooling phase the engine makes its way back to the assembly line the men on the pre assembly line take receipt of the Biturbo and heave it onto an assembly sled a total of 16 mechanics now extend it to form a complete front axle unit this is subsequently mounted on the powertrain a crane helps to move the 160 kilo 8-speed dual-clutch transmission to the line the system behind this automatic transmission has been around for 70 years two sub transmissions in its interior constantly run in parallel so that there is no loss of tractive power when shifting gears the brake system on the Continental GT is the most powerful that has ever been fitted in a Bentley the front brake discs have a diameter of 42 centimeters the crew carefully places the engine transmission unit onto the front axle and bolts it to the steel framework the unit now has all of the components it needs to accelerate the Continental to its top speed of 333 km/h later on the front axle unit then proceeds directly to the main assembly line there two technicians heave the Colossus onto the power train it's the missing piece of the puzzle and slots precisely into the prefabricated frame on the platform this mechanic then installs the propeller shaft it subsequently transfers the engines torque to the rear axle [Music] once the workers have completed this high-powered package they transport the powertrain which is made up of 450 components to the production line that is where it is now fitted beneath the hood the 750 kilo powertrain awakens the beast in the Continental 2 differentials transferred the enormous power output by the Biturbo engine to the wheels to varying extents depending on driving conditions the mighty Brits sports running gear is fitted with air suspension by changing the gas pressure in the suspension struts the Bentley adapts its shock absorption to its drive mode and load an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission ensures constant performance when shifting with the diameter of 420 millimeters the largest standard front brake discs on any car in the world are also mounted on the solid steel framework now the time has come in the Bentley registry office two employees marry the powertrain to the body a hydraulic lifting platform moves the chassis until it is just a few centimeters beneath the vehicles superstructure the two components must not collide but they're threaded holes have to be precisely aligned the technicians conclude the marriage with large steel bolts they have nine minutes to transform the powerplant and body shell into a single unit the overhead conveyor is then set in motion again and the journey along the assembly line continues the team of mechanics now installs the newly developed headlamps at the front of the vehicle their colleagues at Station one had removed the fenders so that the Continental sparkling eyes can be fitted in the body shell from the rear the mechanic now bolts the body parts on again a special Bentley tool is used to symmetrically mount the front lights this device is able to pull the headlamps into the fenders using its suction heads the vacuum suction cup positions it flush in the hole finally the technician checks the gap dimensions the parts are now seated without any screws or plug connections disturbing the noble appearance of the luxury coupe a the headlights have a very dark appearance but when you look into the lamp particularly on sunlight or when there illuminates is you see they sparkle like a crystal diamond and that's because they are made up of several transparent layers or very sharply defined surfaces they give a unique crystal like appearance see the lamp there is an idea that one of our designers had he was inspired by looking at a coq blasts and he wanted to get that into the headlamp and nobody's ever done that before and whenever you do something new it's difficult but it also makes it fun for designers trying to achieve that vision the Continental GT is the English company's most successful vehicle by far since the first model back in 2003 its basic lines have been firmly anchored in the model series the third generation of the supercar entered production in 2018 the Continental has always been a car that you can really describe from the side even three lines the lines that we call the power line which is the strong sharp line over the front wheel the horns which is the line over the rear wheel the more muscular over the rear wheel and the fastback roof roof line those three lines really define the cause of all the generations of continental GT high-performance and classic forms have been core characteristics of the Bentley DNA for over 100 years the company was founded in 1919 in London by a passionate racing driver his name Walter Owen Bentley [Music] the brand achieved international renown in 1924 by winning the 24 Hours of LeMans a success that bentley went on to repeat a total of five times during this period even today the englishman rely on extreme performance and fight their way to the front on race tracks throughout the world [Music] [Applause] to be allowed to participate the racing version the Continental GT 3 had to shed almost 1 ton of weight driven by a 4 liter v8 power plant the 1.3 ton race car has already chalked off more than 50 wins it's 8 cylinder engine weights 23 kilos less than the w12 and catapulted the British vehicle over the Belgian asphalt during the 24 hour race in Spa the Continental team has already stood on the podium 120 times in crew the all-wheel drive vehicle is now being fitted with special tires from Pirelli these tires are designed to produce as little rolling noise as possible in the passenger compartment the Continental is fitted with mixed tires for the first time to provide even more grip and to precise steering behavior the rear tires are wider during the final work on and in the vehicle it's crucial to protect the exquisite body shell that's why the entire vehicle is covered with thick leather mats these prevent the expensive paintwork from being scratched the Bentley's are painted in the plants 32,000 square meter paint shop this is where each naked vehicle skeleton is given its unmistakable outfit the 500 employees on the approximately 2 kilometer long painting line have just one objective absolute perfection so then the paint's up and totally we have them 85 stations then those stations many of them amounted by colleagues are doing other preparation or painting operations but also of course we have a number of automated processes which are robotic and of course also many ovens for baking the body within the different paint coats so typically in a week we're doing now around 350 to 375 cars per week before being painted each body is taken to the sanding booth the vehicle skeleton has already been coated with primer which also protects against corrosion six employees now sand and polish each of the surfaces no bumps are permitted in the paintwork later on the professional painters sand each uneven area flat no matter how small this is one of the key parts of our process this is where we sanded the primer coat to remove any surface finish texture so that the car is as flat as possible before the top goes over this is key to understanding how we achieve our final finish the color paint is applied automatically so that no part of the body shell is left unpainted the six robot arms are able to raise or open all movable parts of the vehicle for a base color the robot spray seven kilos of paint onto the body to achieve the precise nuance everywhere the robots apply three individual coats the painting process takes exactly 12 and a half minutes we offer 63 standard and extended wings colors which is above and beyond any other manufacturer in terms of their standard wings we also offer what we call Mulliner colors which are hand-painted bespoke colors exactly to the customer's requirements each body shell is given a special finish consisting of a clear coat this last layer lends the vehicle skeletons their final gloss and protects them from UV radiation this zebra pattern that the neon lamps in the light tunnel cause on the paintwork has a specific function the alternating light and shadow helps the inspectors to see paint runs or bumps more easily after 48 hours a freshly painted GT body shell heads off to the main assembly line it's now 16 kilos heavier a further robot now comes into play on the production line it applies silicone adhesive onto the windshield even after drying this compound remains particularly elastic so that the window does not crack due to vibrations when the vehicle is in motion the employees now inserted in the body using muscle power so that the occupants are extensively shielded from noises later on during vehicle operation Bentley's windows are made of special insulating glass the side windows are frameless which demands extreme precision precision is absolutely crucial at Bentley our vehicles have a top speed of over 330 km/h so the issue of wind noises or the avoidance of them has absolute priority and as soon as two windows are not aligned absolutely precisely wind noises occur these high speeds [Music] after fitting the frameless special windows precisely in the body on the driver and front passenger side the workers positioned the coupe a steep rear window in the vehicle [Music] at the next station the work takes place inside the vehicle this rear seat consists of 40 individual pieces of leather it's produced in the plants on Sadler II here around 500 employees produce the high quality furnishings for all Bentley's the complete interior of a Continental GT is also created in elaborate on two separate lines [Music] our interiors of all Bentley's are a blend of craftsmanship best material so to smell the feel the torch the tactile Ness of the interior but also then the blend of modern technology so the cockpits got to feel like you're in a cockpit but you're also in your comfy armchair at home the luxury British coupe a contains the hides of up to 12 European balls when selecting them the Sadler's make sure that the skins are flawless but still appear natural these special wax crayon marks are important for subsequent processing they mark each anomaly on the dark gray leather cameras recognize the markings and special indications so that precisely these areas are omitted when the leather is cut the Continentals range includes the most exclusive types of leather in the world [Music] it is known that certain countries like certain things within the car [Music] we know that the USA likes cars they they love their cows over to America and stuff like that so they like to see it it's a natural thing and they love it but we are firm in our decision making that we only put the best in the best so I'm sorry but they're not really allowed scars in the car whereas Germany want the best they only want perfect hide in their cars 10% of the work in the trim shop is carried out automatically this includes cutting the leather first a camera scans the raw material and the defects marked on it a system distributes the cutting patterns required for the corresponding interior intelligently around the markings and forwards the cutting instructions to the machine it then cuts the individual parts from the leather this means that scrap is minimized and the Sadler's can make the best possible use of the fine material two projectors on the ceiling then identify the finished pre-cut parts with color markings this tells the employee which pre-cut part belongs to which part of the Continentals interior trim according to the respective color he pre sorts the leather elements for further processing [Music] the trim shop also boasts its own sewing line here 75 seamstresses use the individual leather components to fabricate elaborately decorated seat covers and door upholstery the seamstresses equipped the leather with a soft lining and register all of the finished parts in the system it takes around 27 hours to hand Stitch a continental set this worker is preparing individual components for the department's six automatic sewing machines [Music] they undertake more complex top stitching work complicated embroidery designs and decorative seams when finished the interior equipment of a luxury coupe a contains 2800 meters of thread Bentley's diamonds pattern is also found here as well around three quarters of customers order this extra for their continental after one final check this seamstress approves a further seat cover for final assembly a finished seat comes off the line here every nine minutes nevertheless quality is essential this workers upholstering a heated front seat depending on the type of leather it takes a lot of strength to pull the cover over the padding dark leather is stiffer than light leather the employees must not damage the expensive leather but the cover and plastic shells still have to be seated perfectly finally the upholsterer irons the last creases from the seat it has taken one and a half days to build the finished car seat on the production line a technician now inserts the freshly ironed front passenger seat into the cockpit of a continental he then bolts it to the seat rails his colleague uses the assembly aid to bring the driver's seat to the vehicle as well now comes the steering the technician places the Bentley steering wheel onto the steering column and connects the cables [Music] finally the mechanics transport the two doors to the vehicle and bolt them in place the crew at the next station adjusts them until all of the gap dimensions are correct and the doors open and close perfectly [Music] the Continental is now supplied with power this employee charges the British vehicles battery so that the Bentley can undergo a final electrical check to do this he connects a computer to the vehicle he transfers all system information to the car the quality inspector then tests electronic functions such as the window or door openers and the automatic trunk lid the Bentley inspectors checklist also includes all of the controls in the cockpit [Music] at this station the technicians finally bring the Continental to life an employee fills the vehicle with around 25 litres of gasoline and fits a surge protector in the fuse box then the luxury sports car is allowed to roar for the first time at the end of the production line a complex final acceptance process awaits the new Bentley's so that the customer receives a perfect vehicle the quality inspectors scrutinize every centimeter inside the vehicle they test the seat belts and all flaps and levers the expensive dashboards are also on the inspectors checklist they are Bentley's unmistakable trademark and have to be absolutely perfect [Music] the Continental GT is a mobile luxury suite everything is designed for maximum comfort even a minibar can be optionally integrated into the refined interior naturally this also includes a set of whiskey glasses made of elaborately cut crystal with the Bentley you don't want to be conspicuous with the Bentley you want to demonstrate style and class and Bentley a Bentley is equally as sporty as other super sports cars but it simply has this refreshing understatement and this basic feel of luxury in particular it's the handcrafted elements in the vehicle's interior that engender this feeling of luxury the crew in the plants owned 5,000 square metre wood shop produces luxury wooden dashboards and trim elements the choice of raw materials is virtually unlimited it's even possible to use burl wood from a customer's private forest burr walnut is a very traditional veneer that Bentley is used for many years and that's obviously the American walnut we have one of our new veneers which is Khoa and that comes from Hawaii we have tama ash which comes from china and we have red gum which is Mississippi so that's just to name a few so from a wood point of view we say we're putting veneers into cars we're actually putting what I believe is furniture into cars Bentley's veneer collection includes a total of nine different types of fine wood before the British decide on a new type of wood they take a look at its origin they want to know precisely whether the timber is from sustainable forestry and who managed its growth the ancient craftsmanship with which Bentley's carpenters process and refined the wood is passed down through the generations something called mirror matching takes place in the first processing step a worker checks that the pattern of the thin veneer sheets flows seamlessly into one another the finished interior trim should look as if it were made from a single piece of wood the expert uses a template to mark the subsequent cuts I say you've got to have a good eye and basically bringing the veneers together so that you've got that exact line this is a console and within there there's a framework for a ledge that's what the blue marking is and making sure that this is central to the konk for the console so we get a good coverage without any scarring or tissue in from from the console and then from that I see there this veneer has to match perfectly so we've got exact lines to see so the line goes in runs it perfect when when joint again properly should be flush and look identical suit look like it flows looks like it won't be so water modern technology supports the traditional manual work the machine helps wherever absolute precision is required a laser is used to cut the veneer sheets it cuts exactly identical trim components from the fine wood the result is precise smooth cut edges [Music] next the pre-cut parts are placed into a press to do this a worker first stacks five layers of veneer precisely on top of each other each has a piece of white taping paper on its underside which immediately bonds the layers to one another the carpenter then places the 1.5 millimeter thick face veneer onto the template spins to protect it a type of baking paper is placed on top once he has greased the heater plates on the press he clamps a carrier into the machine this consists of slightly thicker chipboard or plywood the carpenter places the finer layers on to this the lower veneer sheets ensure that the simpler substrate material does not show through if the fine wood on the top is damaged the expert now fixes a further veneer blank in position on a second heater plate later on both parts will be used as trim on a dashboard with the force of up to 250 tonnes the machine now presses the seven layers together to form a single part the heater plates heat the adhesive to around 145 degrees Celsius [Music] after five minutes the expert takes the finished veneer parts out of the press and removes their protective layer to prepare the freshly baked wooden consoles for varnishing the specialists at this station now sand the remaining chips and scratches from the veneer the exquisite interior elements then make their way into the varnishing line to seal and protect them the parts are given a total of seven coats of varnish after four hours in the rest area they are placed into a 50 degrees Celsius oven for a further two hours so that they can Harden the elaborate finish is undertaken by a robot to enable that this employee clamps a finished steering wheel trim into a carousel in the gondola the fine wood moves into a position from which the robot can grip it with ease on four brushes with different degrees of hardness the yellow high-tech robot polishes each millimeter of the veneer trim to a bright luster after 10 minutes the design element is returned to the employee who checks whether the robot has done a good job she then removes final particles of dirt from the part and sticks a protective foil onto it [Music] so the robotics make it more ergonomically friendly in terms of the complex shapes that were using and the robots take out all the hard heavy manual work allowing the crafts people to find finish some of the complex components that we have the final step in the production process of the Continentals furnishings takes place behind this door so that the individual components can be integrated perfectly into the cockpit they are provided with all of the necessary notches and holes for screw and plug connections in this CNC milling cutter the robot on the inside grips a tool and Mills the programmed grooves and slots in the workpiece fully automatically after a few minutes the components are ready to be installed in the cockpit the fine wood elements now undergo their final quality checks an employee scrutinizes each and every part precisely to meet Bentley's high standards of quality on a frame she assembles the Continental GT s complete interior trim and checks whether the grain of the 15 individual parts matches perfectly a flat surface is also vitally important [Music] if the trained eye of the quality inspector discovers a recess the part is sent to a manual correction department these guys will be practice send it back to me the experienced Bentley tester inspects around 25 sets per day the team from the plants in-house wood shop requires a total of 20 days to refine the wood for the interior of just one continental the real value comes in for that fine finishing at the end and that attention to detail that you'll see throughout some of the things that you've seen within the factory that's where it really matters doing the things that the robots and the technology can't do and that will always be a passion that will always be part of what makes Bentley Bentley back at the final quality control if this two hundred thousand euro sports car passes the last few checks it's approved for delivery Dinah's father every car as a personal quality check from an expert in the interior for design and crafts in the exterior for clearance precision and paint quality we are talking about several hundred check points that every car has to pass to maintain the high quality in 100 hours the workers have built a new luxury coupe a Wayne 2.2 tons the Grand Tour now rolls off the assembly line next however it has to complete a further two tests only when it has passed these can it finally leave the plant in the rattle and roll test the engineers really give the content until a thorough shaking the rollers simulate various road surfaces on these the testers accelerate the British car up to 24 km/h to identify disturbing noises and loose vehicle parts when it has passed the shape test the Bentley turns into a long alleyway in the monsoon test the inspectors drenched the 2-door vehicle with water they simulate heavy rainfall not a single drop of which is allowed to enter the interior of the luxury car [Music] an employee then measures weather moisture has entered the cockpit and checks the luggage compartment for water damage this continental has remained watertight it's now ready for its new owner somewhere in the world [Music] on average our customers have eight cars in the garage when they get up in the morning and ask themselves whether they should drive a super sports car a luxury sedan or a practical everyday car and they usually choose a combination of these three characteristics in this combination of super sports car luxury car and suitability for everyday use is the Bentley the Continental GT is a dream car from the Bentley brand at the planting crew 1000 employees have produced a new luxury coupe a around 5000 of these exclusive British vehicles roll off the assembly line here each year since 1919 luxury passion and tradition have been combined to produce England's most exquisite supercars [Music]

Channel: WELT Documentary

Views: 881,129

Rating: 4.8308501 out of 5

Keywords: full documentary, full documentaries, hd documentary, hd documentaries, free documentary, welt documentary, welt documentaries, full length documentaries, documentary film, top documentaries, reports, factual film, bentley, Bentley Continental GT, bentley factory, bentley factory documentary, bentley documentary, dream cars, dream cars documentary, car factory, bentley production, bentley production line, bentley production process, w12, engine, inside the factory, dreamcars

Id: suibdQZSmZ4

Length: 48min 14sec (2894 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 28 2020