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Imagine for a moment that you, your partner and two companions
are touring in your Bentley Continental Flying Spur at a comfortable
110mph down one of Germany’s few remaining derestricted autobahnen.
Perhaps you’re en route to Berlin’s Konzerthaus, or looking forward
to putting a couple of cases of the magnificent Jodokus Drautz from
the Drautz-Able winery in the capacious boot. Whatever the reason
for your hypothetical journey, you notice that all three lanes ahead
of you appear to be miraculously clear of traffic, and decide to
allow your Bentley to really stretch its legs.
Well, why not?
Within a fraction of a second the engine note of the
twin-turbocharged, 12-cylinder, 6-litre engine hardens to an
agreeable growl as the speedometer needle starts to streak around
the dial. You may or may not see it spin all the way round to its
maximum top speed of 195mph – even imaginary derestricted motorways
have their limitations – but as the speed rises you’d almost
certainly note the rock-steady poise of the all-wheel-drive Bentley
at speeds up to and beyond three miles a minute.
There is a reason. As speeds rise above 155mph, the
computer-controlled air springs of the Continental Flying Spur lower
the car closer to the ground. And here’s the clever bit: while the
front lowers by 10mm, the rear will dip by 25mm, reducing rear end
‘lift’ at high velocities.
Of course, the same effect could have been achieved by putting a
spoiler on the rear boot lid. But Bentley’s designers and engineers,
weren’t keen on ‘spoiling’ the magnificent lines of the latest
four-door to emerge from Crewe’s stable of hand-built grand tourers.
So instead they employed advanced chassis technology to retain the
integrity of the car’s lines, without compromising its ability to
cross continents at executive jet speeds.
Details like this illustrate the depth of investment, talent and
perfectionism that has gone into the making of the Continental
Flying Spur.
Until now, a Bentley has perhaps been seen as a car for special
occasions, but the Continental Flying Spur will be bought and used
primarily as a business tool, for everyday use. What is particularly
exciting is that it beats its rivals on advanced technology and
year-round practicality while offering the kind of style and
hand-craftsmanship that only Crewe can achieve.
The Continental Flying Spur shares a family resemblance with its
coupé sibling, the Continental GT, especially from the front. The
twin headlights, matrix grille and air of restrained muscularity are
all Bentley hallmarks going back to the original Le Mans winners of
the 1920s. But although both the Continental GT and the Continental
Flying Spur are the work of the same design team, led by Bentley’s
Dirk van Braeckel, from the grille back the two cars have marked
differences. In the Continental GT’s side profile the powerline hugs
the front of the front wheelarch and then curves sinuously back
towards the rear wheel, kicking up and over the arch. In the case of
the Continental Flying Spur, the powerline has the same point of
origin yet stays straighter, more horizontal, as it spears
rearwards. Different execution, same message: this is a powerful
beast, ready to spring.
The main difference, of course, is that the Continental GT is a
coupé providing 2+2 accommodation, whilst the Continental Flying
Spur’s additional 300mm of wheelbase turns the rear compartment into
something akin to a limousine, albeit a 195mph limousine with
sports-car handling.
For all its hand-built aura and supercar performance, the new
four-door Bentley is both good value and a highly practical everyday
proposition. Broughtons and Bentley Pangbourne are able to offer a
wide range of personal or business finance options for prospective
owners of the Continental Flying Spur via Bentley Financial Services
(see page 38), and the sales team is completely geared up to meeting
the demands of the business user.
As you might expect, the Continental Flying Spur is available with a
wide selection of paint and veneer interior finishes. It is offered
either as a full five-seater, with a conventional rear bench, or as
a four-seater with a full-length console separating the two rear
seat passengers, creating a more cockpit-like ambience, as well as
providing additional stowage space for phones, PDAs, documents and
refreshments. Sales teams can arrange to take prospective owners
through the options available to them, either at their homes, the
showroom or perhaps at Crewe itself, where they will also be able to
meet the people who hand-craft each Bentley.
Should you be interested in test driving the Continental Flying
Spur, a demonstration car is available at Broughtons and Bentley
Pangbourne. But you will have to take their word for it that the
Continental Flying Spur’s chassis magically dips on its haunches at
speeds above 155mph. British police patrol drivers, it seems, are a
little less speed-tolerant than their German counterparts!
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