It's all thanks to its all-wheel-drive system, which gives it a good grip of the tarmac
Monaco is hardly the ideal place to test the dynamics of the new Bentley Flying Spur, what with its narrow roads and limited space, but it is the perfect place to launch it. The glitzy sovereign city-state is not only known for its altruistic monarchy, but its incredible wealth—nearly one-third of its residents are millionaires, according to Knight Frank’s The Wealth Report 2019. When the global launch event took place last October, even jaded residents came to have a gander at the fleet of Flying Spurs parked at Casino Square outside the iconic Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo.
The model’s name was taken from the 1957 Bentley S1 Continental Flying Spur, and the first of the modern series continued in 2005 with the name Continental Flying Spur as it rode into the market on the coattails of Bentley’s Continental GT coupe and convertible. By 2013, the British marque decided that from its second generation, the model should stand on its own. Hence, its moniker was shortened to simply “Flying Spur”.
At first brush, the new Flying Spur seems smaller than before, but that is an illusion as the curvaceous styling conceals its size well. The car is longer than its predecessor, although it is just as wide. It appears a smidgen lower, but perhaps the considerably lengthened wheelbase imparts the impression of being low-slung.
The car is based on the latest platform that underpins the Porsche Panamera, which is a much better starting point than that of the previous Flying Spur that came from Volkswagen. With much of the fundamental development already taken care of, Bentley could do what it does best—create luxury.
With electrification on the threshold of the automotive industry, it seems curious that Bentley would choose to launch its new Flying Spur with a 6.0L W12 engine. However, with an enticing 626bhp and 900Nm, this is an artful way to reintroduce the model. Future models will no doubt include V8 and hybrid engines.
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Mated to the latest eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and an all-wheel drive system, the car sprints from 0 to 100km/h in a scarcely believable 3.8sec. It is capable of reaching an astonishing top speed of 333km/h, which can already be attained in sixth gear, leaving the top two gears of the gearbox to trim engine revs, reducing fuel consumption to 14.8L/100km—an improvement of about 15 per cent as compared to the previous model. After all, the Flying Spur has always been the sportier choice within the luxury saloon market, thanks to its racing heritage. To reinforce this, Bentley has ensured that for this new model, it delivers an awe-inspiring performance in addition to elegant opulence.