Bentley describes the updated hybrid Flying Spur Speed as a four-door supercar
The latest version of the Bentley Flying Spur is a technological showcase and an outstanding performer
A few years ago, you would have been forgiven for thinking that the tiresome battle over power ratings in luxury cars was over. The arrival of electrification, with its fearsome power outputs and ultra-rapid acceleration times should have put paid to the squabbling over horsepower and cylinders and displacement and torque curves.
Not a bit of it. Bentley launches its revised and updated Flying Spur limousine with the tagline ‘the most powerful Bentley four-door ever’. The fourth generation version of this admirable machine doesn’t do much in the way of visual overhauls (compared to its closely related Continental GT sibling, which received a more radical make-over earlier this year). Instead, it’s primarily about the numbers.
The stats aren’t all pitched at old school bragging rights, although with 782PS and a 3.3 second sprint to 60mph, this sedan is firmly in supercar territory. Bentley is more interested in the 47 miles of pure electric range the hybrid powertrain delivers, going on to highlight its 515-mile touring range, as well as the fact it ‘outperforms previous W12 Speed on every metric: torque, power, acceleration and emissions.’
That’s significant for some, as the old W12 Speed had a bespoke 12-cylinder engine at its heart, a mighty piece of engineering that defined modern era Bentley refinement and skill. That engine is no longer, to the sadness of some, but as Bentley notes, it can’t hold a candle to the mix of electric power and a new V8.
Visually, the new Flying Spur offers a few aesthetic updates to the third-generation model, although they’re pretty subtle (a new grille, bumper and diffuser and wheel options). The more substantial changes are to the car’s electrical system and powertrain, with a new electrical architecture that handles elements like the Performance Active Chassis, Bentley Dynamic Ride, and All-Wheel Steering. All this wizardry helps cloak the Flying Spur Speed’s considerable size and bulk, making it start, ride and stop like a much smaller, defter car.
Another area of improvement is the interior, where options on leather alone run to 700 colour combinations, and that’s before unleashing the infinite possibilities made available by Bentley’s Mulliner coachbuilding division. Top-flight audio comes from either Bang & Olufsen or Naim, and there’s now the ability to specify Bentley’s ‘Wellness Seating Specification’ on the four main seats. This system uses sensors to measure body temperature and posture and subtly adjusts the pressure to minimise fatigue.
The Flying Spur has come a long way since it was just Bentley’s nod to the limousine trade and the old-fashion saloons that defined it in the 1960s through to the 1980s. Now firmly established as the brand’s technological showcase, the fourth generation car can lay a credible claim to being the best executive conveyance on the planet, private jets included.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Bentley Flying Spur Speed, price tbc, for more information visit BentleyMotors.com, @BentleyMotors
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Gardens & Villas offers the unexpected through ‘deconstructed’ desert living in California
Gardens & Villas, a home in Las Quintas, California, brings contemporary luxury to its desert setting through a collaboration between architects Andrew McClure and Christopher McLean
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Daniel Obasi discusses Lagos’ Amah members’ club, where vocation and wonder can meet
Amah, a new members’ club founded by photographer, art director and stylist Daniel Obasi, is a creative co-working space and meeting point for Lagos’ creative class
By Mazzi Odu Published
-
A closer look at Loewe’s delirious, erotically-charged collaboration with artist Richard Hawkins
‘Modern life has become a collage,’ said Jonathan Anderson after his A/W 2024 menswear show, which featured Los Angeles-based artist Richard Hawkins’ collages across sweaters and bags
By Jack Moss Published
-
The new Bentley Continental GT Speed surpasses its top-ranking predecessor
High in the Alps behind the wheel of a brand new hybrid Bentley, we reflect on what it takes to make a modern supercar
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Bentley rolls out the latest version of its majestic grand tourer, the Continental GT Speed
Available as both coupé and convertible, the fourth generation Bentley Continental GT Speed harnesses hybrid power to become a record breaker for the brand
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Zoute Grand Prix is a car fest like no other at a pristine Belgian beachside town
Amy Serafin takes to the well-heeled streets of Knokke-Heist to experience the Zoute Grand Prix, its annual cavalcade of classic car-related events, from a rally to an auction
By Amy Serafin Published
-
Bentley goes big with an extended, Mulliner-trimmed version of its Bentayga SUV
The Bentley Bentayga EWB Mulliner is the luxury manufacturer’s new flagship, a high-riding limousine that marks a sea-change in how we perceive the very best of an automotive brand
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Bentley Blower Jr shrinks and electrifies the stately form of a racing classic
The Little Car Company’s latest project takes an interwar icon and transforms it into an electric city car for the modern rake
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Bentley’s Mulliner division enters a purple patch with the Batur
Just 18 examples of the new Bentley Batur will be built for customers, designed as the ultimate platform for creative specifications and a showcase for in-car craft and design
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Flexjet takes to the skies with Bentley
Flexjet brings exclusive Bentley interiors to its new Gulfstream G650 jet and Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, in the smoothest of transfers
By Jessica Klingelfuss Published
-
Bentley’s Continental GT Speed reaches giddy new heights
All beauty, artistry and vigour, the Bentley Continental GT Speed is the marque’s most powerful car yet but, a classic grand tourer, just as suited to easy cruising on a scenic Sicilian trip
By Nargess Banks Last updated