In the embodiment of the old adage that one must know where one came from in order to know where one is going, many car companies of the past few years have invoked their heritage to step into the future. Call it throwback or retro if you will, but there’s no denying that this effort has paid off, evidenced by the success of late models ranging from the Ford Mustang to the Aston Martin DBS.
Bentley’s brand new Continental Flying Spur Speed, hitting showrooms this month, represents a far more labyrinthine journey down this path than that of most manufacturers. It is an extension of the recent Continental line that has given us the Continental GT and the Flying Spur. The Continental name itself draws on the marvelous Bentleys of the 1950s, which were produced during the company’s long ownership by Rolls-Royce. The Speeds, however, were a supercharged version of base model Bentleys during the 1920s, a period when the marquee was routinely winning the famed Le Mans race. Throw on top of all that the fact that Bentley is now owned by VW and you’ve got an English car, made by Germans, whose name is a combination of its earliest brawny models, when the company owned itself, and for a model that was made while it was owned by another English company. Got that?
Of course all one really needs to know about the Flying Spur Speed is that it is an unforgettable synergy of luxury and power. Under the hood lies a more powerful version of Bentley’s acclaimed W-12 engine, which is good for 600 horsepower. It delivers a 9% increase in power and a 15% increase in torque from the base level Flying Spur. Simply stated, this is the most powerful four-door Bentley ever made. Its slightly lower body stance and 20 inch wheels with Pirelli tires cut a muscular and elegant profile uncommon for a sedan of such luxury. And that’s just how it looks…
As far as a drive experience, the ride offered by the Flying Spur Speed is second to none. The massive engine is instantly responsive to input and is capable of catapulting the driver from 0 – 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 200 mph. Needless to say, these are performance stats generally reserved for supercars. The stats are misleading, however, for to ride in the Bentley is to pilot a cushion on air, a plush and smooth experience that belies the sheer physical speed of which the car is capable. This is achieved not only through the car’s phenomenal suspension, which transmits barely a hint of road discontinuity, but cabin features that transform the car into a veritable sensory deprivation pod. Acoustic glass treatments, a tri-laminate undertray and wheelarch liners don’t just deaden sound, they make you believe it was never born in the first place.
Of course you can replace the lack of road noise with musical strains from the car’s proprietary Naim audio system, which features 15 custom built speakers, dual sub-woofers, and an 1,100 watt amplifier, the most powerful unit ever offered in a production car. Cabin comfort in the handcrafted interior is assured by an assortment of trim choices, a spectrum of wood veneers ranging a gamut of Ash, Chestnut and Walnut. Diamond stitching in the plush leather upholstery further differentiates the Speed from its stablemate, and continues to blur the lines between the definitions of a luxury car and a sports car.
Occupying the peak of luxurious driving, the new Flying Spur Speed is highly customizable upon order, as buyers can choose between 19 different veneers, 13 different fascias, 10 different seats and 6 different carpet options for a dizzying array of interior combinations. Exterior paint can be chosen in any one of the pre-existing colors for the Continental line-up, or you can present a color for the manufacturer to match. According to Bentley Chairman and Chief Executive Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, “We have refined an already remarkable car and with the debut of the Flying Spur Speed we are extending its appeal.” Bentley will be importing only about 1,000 units a year to the U.S., so if you want to own the vehicular pinnacle of classic British styling superimposed on German engineering, don’t wait too long.
Stats:
Price: $204,795
Engine: 6 liter twin-turbocharged W-12
Power: 600 bhp @ 6,000 rpm
Torque: 553 lb-ft @ 1,750 rpm
Transmission: continuous all-wheel drive ZF 6-speed automatic w/ optional paddle shifters
0-60 mph: 4.5 seconds
Top speed: 200 mph
Story by Mike Daly
