New Bentley Flying Spur

Bentley has unveiled a revised version of the Continental Flying Spur saloon, with the range set to include a more powerful Speed variant with a claimed 200mph top speed.

It’s a statistic that should probably be treated with a degree more scepticism than we normally reserve for manufacturer’s performance claims: in 2005 Autocar recorded a top speed of 208mph in a standard, 552bhp Flying Spur at the Nardo test track in Italy – 13mph more than the car’s official top speed. The record was made more impressive by the fact the car was travelling with four occupants and its air conditioning switched on.

The new Flying Spur Speed gets the same revised version of Bentley’s 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine that we’ve already seen in offered in the GT Speed Coupe. That means 600bhp (a 48bhp increase on the standard car) and 553lb-ft of torque (up from 479 lb-ft). Bentley claims the Flying Spur will be able to hit 60mph in 4.5 seconds from rest, and 100mph just 10.5 seconds after leaving the line: despite a 2475kg kerbweight.

Subtle styling tweaks distinguish the Speed from the standard Flying Spur. The more powerful car gets its front grille and lower air intakes finished in dark-tinted chrome, plus a new design of exhaust tailpipes. New 20-inch alloys, available in either bright silver or darkened tungsten finishes, carry the same bespoke Pirelli P-Zero tyres that were introduced on the GT Speed. Power steering has retuned, spring and dampers firmed up and the Speed has also been lowered by 10mm.

The standard Flying Spur has also been revised, with some mild visual revisions, better noise insulation and the option of both adaptive cruise control and a new optional Naim audio system, which includes an 1100 watt amplifier. Three new colours and four duo-tone pain combinations have been added to the exterior paint palette.

Despite an increase in specification, the price of the standard flying spur hasn’t increased, at £117,500. The Speed will cost £133,300.

Check back later in the week for our first drive of the new Continental Flying Spur Speed.