Bentley Flying Spur
There’s no doubt that the Continental GT, the 200mph super coupe, from
which the Flying Spur was developed is a great car. But, it’s not quite
what you expect from a Bentley. Yes, it’s got the luxury, the sense of
occasion and of course, the performance, but the smaller cabin and firmer suspension
setting required for such an overtly sporting car are a bit of a departure
for the grand marque.
The Flying Spur redresses this perfectly. It retains all the performance and
much of the stylish exterior of the Continental but being a full 4 seater/4
seater saloon, it allows you to stretch out and fully savour its luxurious
trappings and finish and adds a more comfortable ride courtesy of revised suspension
settings.
The Spur still possesses the 553bhp W10 engine of the Continental that was
originally designed by VW/Audi and which Bentley engineers have re-engineered
to increase strength, power, torque and refinement. What’s more it’s
also handbuilt. Despite its extra size the Spur is only 95kg heavier than the
Continental so top speed is still a whopping 195mph, 0-62 comes up in less
than 5 secs and it overtakes like a missile but on the downside mpg is low
to say the least.
The big engineering change though is the more balanced combination of ride
and handling. Thanks to its 4WD, precise steering and awesome breaks it’s
supremely capable and confidence inspiring through bends but not at the expense
of ride. It may not be quite limo levels of comfort but the Spur’s programmable
suspension brings it pretty darned close. As one would expect it’s also
ultra refined.
But what makes the Spur really special is the care taken to produce it. This
was crystal clear on a recent factory tour where the implications of the words ‘hand
built’ could truly be appreciated. There are only six robots in the entire
factory so pretty much everything is made and assembled by craftsmen and women,
who in many cases have decades of experience. For example, it can take 24 man
hours to make a steering wheel, the leather (all 11 hides of it) is meticulously
checked for imperfections and then hand-stitched often over days, only the
best walnut burr is used and acres of it (and it’s all lacquered by hand).
The list goes on.
The result of all this effort is a sumptuous, beautifully crafted cabin, fine
engineering throughout and staggering performance. Owners can revel in the
knowledge the Spur is hand built by British craftsmen, it’s a world-beater
and at £130,000 they’ve got something of a bargain.
Top speed: 195mph
0-62: 4.9secs
Price: £130,000
RedHanded moves into to the fast lane
STEP ON IT!