Bentley turns to musical instruments in an attempt to recreate the emotion of combustion engines in an electric car

Bentley has developed an artificial sound signature for the Torcal, its new electric model, in an attempt to compensate for the absence of one of the features most closely associated with the brand’s traditional cars: the sound of large-displacement engines.

Called the “Bentley Dynamic Symphony,” the system uses recordings of real instruments and responds to accelerator inputs. Its purpose is to give drivers part of the emotional experience previously produced by engines such as the 6.75-liter V8 and the W12.

The manufacturer says it avoided simply reproducing the noise of an internal combustion engine. Instead, it created an original composition that changes according to speed, acceleration intensity and driving style.

Despite this approach, the initiative highlights one of the main challenges faced by luxury brands during the transition to electric vehicles: preserving an identity built over decades around mechanical elements that disappear with electrification.

In Bentley’s case, a significant part of that identity has always been linked not only to performance, but also to the operation, vibration and sound of its engines. In the Torcal, these elements must be replaced by a programmed experience reproduced through speakers.

Source and images: Bentley Motors.