Bentley Continental Flying Spur - Engineering And Driving Dynamics

With 552bhp at your disposal and an advanced all-wheel drive system to ensure that power is delivered in a controlled and measured fashion, the Bentley Continental Flying Spur has the performance to match its appearance.

As with every Bentley, this is a driver's car first and foremost. In common with the Continental GT coupe, the car's extremely stiff steel chassis allows the advanced air suspension system to regulate safely the handling and balance of a four-door with supercar performance: a top speed in excess of 190mph and 0-62mph in around five seconds. However, such is the breadth of its dynamic capability, the Continental Flying Spur also delivers supreme comfort for long, relaxed journeys.

"Over the course of its development the car was subjected to a rigorous drive programme that saw it complete nearly a million miles on proving grounds, test tracks and roads across the world," reveals Dr Ulrich Eichhorn, member of the board, engineering. "The result is a car whose breadth and capability, in any weather, on any road surface, is simply awesome."

Bentley's renowned powertrain development was rightly praised at the launch of the Continental GT coupe and the combination of that phenomenal twin-turbocharged, 12-cylinder engine with a smooth, six-speed 'paddleshift' ZF gearbox with Tiptronic actuation is carried over into the Continental Flying Spur.

A Bentley engine is unlike any other in the world and the Continental Flying Spur's is no exception. Maximum torque is available from just 1600rpm and continues unabated throughout the powerband, meaning the driver can call upon exceptional reserves of power in an instant.

The Continental Flying Spur's permanent all-wheel drive system ensures that even in poor weather and road conditions, the awesome power and torque remain accessible to the driver without the constant intervention of the traction control system.

The advanced six-speed transmission allows the driver to use the gearbox as a conventional automatic or opt to change gears 'manually' using either the gearlever or the paddles mounted behind the wheel. Whatever mode the gearbox is set to, the powertrain operates with seamless efficiency and provides brilliant shift quality. In its four-door application it has also been extensively recalibrated to provide almost imperceptible shifts when being used in a more relaxed fashion.