The all-new Bentley Flying Spur

Bentley establishes a new luxury performance sedan benchmark with the launch of the new Flying Spur. With its unrivalled blend of effortless driveability, exquisite luxury and craftsmanship, sculpted design and state-of-the-art technology, the new Flying Spur takes the worldwide success of its iconic predecessor further. Bentley’s most powerful four-door model ever makes its global debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show on 5th March.

OneShift Editorial Team

21 Feb 2013

Under the hood, the twin-turbo, 6.0-liter W-12 engine gets a 64-hp and 114-lb-ft bump to 616 hp and 800 Nm of torque. That's also 16 hp and 50 Nm more than the last Continental Flying Spur Speed. Peak horsepower comes at 6000 rpm, while peak torque is achieved at just 2000 rpm. A new Bosch engine management system improves torque management, turbocharger control, drivability, and emissions control, as well as low-speed responsiveness. Bentley claims the additional power and reduced weight contribute to a 14 percent improvement in the power-to-weight ratio, and that the sedan can reach 60 mph in 4.3 seconds as well as a 200-mph top speed.

In our testing, the 2012 Continental Flying Spur Speed reached 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. The outgoing model's six-speed automatic has been replaced by the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission used in other Bentley models. In the Flying Spur, it has been optimized to improve response and reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by at least 13 percent. Bentley claims the new transmission can deliver imperceptible shifts in fewer than 200 milliseconds. Power is routed to all four wheels in a nominal 40/60 front-to-rear bias. Under certain conditions, as much as 65 percent of the torque can be sent fore and as much as 80 percent sent aft.

Chassis improvements include structural reinforcements to improve crash safety and increase torsional stiffness by 4 percent, contributing to lower NVH. The super formed aluminum hood and front fenders help reduce pedestrian injury as well as weight. A composite trunklid and fewer pieces used in door construction also help reduce weight. New insulation in the floor and redesigned doors combined with acoustic glass and new side seals reduce road and wind noise. Larger mufflers lower exhaust noise by as much as 12 db at 3000 rpm. Bentley claims the new Flying Spur is 110 pounds lighter than the previous model, while the sleek body has a drag coefficient of just 0.29.