Let's Talk: Bentley's Latest Flying Spur

Bentley Motors released the latest Flying Spur this week. It’s the most powerful sedan from the British marque. 

A Brief History:

Initially released in 2005, the Continental Flying Spur was to be a powerful four-door saloon (sedan for Americans); variant of the two-door Continental Coupe, and it was, with its top-speed of 190 MPH. Just a few years later the 2008 version Flying Spur Speed would fly into the 200 MPH club, four doors and all.

Inspired by the 1923 Speed models, the Flying Spurs brought a 6-liter twin-turbocharged W12 engine that made between 552-602 horsepower, model dependent. And it wasn’t until the second generation of Flying Spurs in 2013 that the W12 would be joined by a more “budget-friendly” V8 variant. Despite losing 4 cylinders, the 8’s had a robust 500-512 horsepower to push itself down the road. The ‘tip of the spear’ however would remain the W12 S with its 621 horsepower and 605 ft. lb of torque.  

It would be a six year run for the second generation, because in 2019 the third generation of the Flying Spur would emerge with a whole new redesign and overhaul. The latest however, ushers in the company’s fourth evolution. 

Fourth Generation and Latest Flying Spur:

The latest Flying Spur now has a twin-turbocharged hybrid-powered V8 under the bonnet. Which normally, would constitute sacrilege to remove cylinders from a luxury car. However, this new powerplant outperforms the W12 in every single metric. The biggest thing is the approximate 771 horsepower and 737 ft. lbs. of torque. 0-60 mph is 3.3 seconds, it has 90% less emissions (if you consider that when buying) and a combined range of over 500 miles. You can even eek out 47 miles on pure electric power if you want to silently depart your neighborhood. 

But listen, you aren’t buying a Bentley because you want the fastest car on the planet. Can you go fast with this? Absolutely. Will you look good while doing it? I suppose so. The exterior styling is mature and stately with a hint of modern softness. It sounds good doesn’t it? The launch color is a vibrant green, no doubt meant to hint at its high performance capabilities. 

However, the interior is where you’re going to spend most of your time. New stitch options are available. A 3D diamond hide can now be used on doors and pillars. The manufacturer claims “wellness features” like intelligent air ionization and Seat Auto Climate and Postural Adjust on all four seats. But what does that even mean? According to the release it measures and maintains the “perfect” body temperature via zoned heating and ventilation, as well as ‘varies the  pressure on the occupants’. Succinctly put, heated and cooled seats with a massage setting. Granted, it’s a Bentley so a bit more whimsy and superfluous verbiage is warranted. 

If surrounding yourself in luxury includes high-end audio Bentley has you covered. Customers can choose between the standard 10-speaker 650 Watt system. Or a 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen 1,500 Watt system or a Naim 2,200 Watt 19-speaker system with Active Bass Transducers.

Price is expected to start around $280,000 USD and increase depending on the options sheet.

W.O. Bentley is reported to have said long ago, “We were going to make a fast car, a good car, the best in its class”. If the latest Flying Spur delivers, it would appear they are on track to fulfill the late founder's intentions.