All posts in “Bentley Flying Spur”

Bentley Flying Spur gets even better

We all know the new Bentley Flying Spur is an amazing luxury sedan from one of the world’s best-known car builders with a massive heritage behind its name, back in February 2021, the Flying Spur W12 was recognized in MotorWeek’s 2021 Drivers’ Choice Awards as the Best Dream Machine, that has to account for something in the automotive world, but that doesn’t mean Bentley isn’t constantly looking to improve on perfection.

For the 2022 model year, the Flying Spur has been developed even further, with more technology added and new paint for the exterior combined with additional finishes for the veneer inside this amazing car, a beautiful Cambrian Grey has been added to the already vast list of 62 exterior paint options. While the following were part of the options list, for the MY22 model these become standard: Traffic sign recognition, hands-free boot opening, extended safeguard features, top-view camera, welcome lighting, and automatic dimming mirrors, as well as the Air Ioniser.

Inside the extremely quiet cabin of the Bentley Flying Spur, the client can opt for a magnificent open-pore veneer, which gets an extremely thin coating that allows the customer to feel the texture of the wood used, carefully selected from either Crown Cut Walnut, Dark Burr Walnut and Koa veneers, because the satin coating is a mere 0.1 mm thick (compared to 0.5 mm for the normal, glossy coated veneers).

With the improved Flying Spur for 2022, Bentley clearly shows they can still improve on perfection …

Bentley Flying Spur named ‘Best Dream Machine’ by Motorweek

The Flying Spur W12 has been recognized in MotorWeek’s 2021 Drivers’ Choice Awards as the Best Dream Machine. Since 1981, MotorWeek judges the best in the automotive industry, looking at the buyer’s point of view and considering industry trends while looking towards the most innovative cars in the industry.

Now, with more than 40,000 examples sold since its launch in 2005, the Flying Spur continues to set the bar as the most successful luxury sports sedan in the world. Sporting details including industry-first three-dimensional leather, cutting edge Bentley Rotating Display, and a retractable, illuminated “Flying B”, each detail continues to be carefully created.

The bold exterior design of the Flying Spur is based on a new and modern vision that is unmistakably Bentley, utilizing the latest technologies in aluminum extrusions and castings. Longtime Creator, Host and Senior Executive Producer of MotorWeek, John Davis, comments:

“The Bentley Flying Spur is a car that fully lives up to our lofty automotive dreams when it comes to luxury, and then far exceeds them when it comes to performance. It effortlessly races to 60 miles per hour in well under 4.0-seconds, which is truly not enough time to enjoy the meticulously hand-crafted embrace that is the Flying Spur’s cabin.”

Bentley Americas CEO and President, Christophe Georges, comments:

“The Flying Spur has been part of Bentley since 2005 and since then has set the bar for the best of both worlds, combining limousine luxury and sports car performance, resulting in the ultimate Dream Machine. Our entire team is honored that MotorWeek has also recognized the Flying Spur as a leader in the industry.”

Effortless Luxury

Seamlessly integrating the very best in British craftsmanship with cutting-edge, innovative technology, the third-generation Flying Spur has become the new Bentley flagship.

The bold exterior design of the Flying Spur is based on a new and modern vision that is unmistakably Bentley. The latest generation Flying Spur has increased road presence from stronger, more muscular styling, which is evident in the full length of the car.

The interior of the Flying Spur showcases Bentley’s expertise in creating a modern cabin of unrivaled luxury and innovation. Stylish and unique, featuring supremely comfortable seats with Bentley’s ‘Wing’ theme across the lower console and fascia.

A sweeping horizontal veneer flows across the dashboard and into the doors, emphasizing the spacious width of the cabin. Crown Cut Walnut is offered as standard, which uses a straight cut process to provide a contemporary finish.

The Flying Spur incorporates a class-leading portfolio of intelligent and intuitive equipment tailored to the driver and passengers. An embedded SIM is provided, meaning My Bentley connected car features no longer require customers to provide their own data connection.

Other features include Apple CarPlay®, photorealistic landscapes through satellite maps, and advance warning of changing road or traffic conditions via the local hazard information service displayed on the vehicle’s infotainment system.

Through a range of optional equipment including Rear Seat Entertainment tablets, audio options up to the industry-leading Naim for Bentley system and even the luxury of an onboard two-bottle drinks cooler, the rear cabin of the Flying Spur is the ultimate place to work or relax while on the road.

All Flying Spurs are produced at Bentley’s home in Crewe – the world’s first carbon-neutral factory for luxury car production. Bentley’s unique application of cutting-edge and modern technology, seamlessly integrating the latest British craftsmanship with innovative features, pushes the existing boundaries of refinement and attention to detail to create the finest super-luxury sports sedan ever built.

From the Bentley Press Release (Reston, Va., 10 February 2021)

The MANSORY Bentley Flying Spur W12 conversion

Kourosh Mansory always had a soft spot for premium British cars, he turned his passion into a business when he started MANSORY in 1989 with special attention to Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Aston Martin. Today MANSORY takes that same high-end attention to detail to makes like Porsche, Lotus, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, McLaren, Lamborghini, and Ferrari … MANSORY is at the top of the ‘individualization’ car market.

Many of us will regard a Bentley Flying Spur W12 as a top-of-the-line luxury car with performance in mind, while a Rolls-Royce is usually enjoyed from the rear seat with a ‘chauffeur’, a Bentley is mostly driven by the owner being regarded as the more sporty alternative to a Rolls … and if the standard car from Crewe just isn’t exclusive enough … just have MANSORY to create a bespoke one just for you.

MANSORY brings clear carbon fiber to the front, side, and rear of the Bentley Flying Spur, there is a distinctive lip that’s added to the front bumper, naturally, the air intakes on that bumper get some carbon fiber add-ons too while the grille surround is also replaced by MANSORY. A four-part set of side skirts are available, while not one, but two different rear diffuser options are listed, one with four massive, oval exhaust tips, while the second comes with split-oval tips.

MANSORY offers a replacement engine cover for the Bentley Flying Spur, with integrated air vents, and the option for a carbon fiber ‘bonnet bar’ as they call it. We wouldn’t be looking at a MANSORY car if the exterior rearview mirrors didn’t get a carbon fiber cover too, and just like a small, but tasteful front lip, there is a nice little rear wing available too … and as a finishing touch, you can replace the Bentley logo on the trunk lid with a MANSORY ‘M’ logo.

Some might call it blasphemy, but MANSORY can replace the Bentley exhaust system with twin sport mufflers, there’s even an X-Pipe on the options list, while a 20 to 30mm lowering suspension kit is also possible, to make those custom MANSORY forged wheels come out even better, all in a 22-inch size, 10×22 for the front with 275/35 22 tires, and 11.5×22 at the rear with massive 335/25 22 … personally I love the glossy black FS.23 wheel the best.

While the interior of a factory standard Bentley Flying Spur W12 is already at an extremely high level, MANSORY still adds some personal touches nonetheless, like a bespoke sports steering wheel combining leather and carbon fiber that matches the new shift paddles, and the new door sills, with lighted MANSORY logo naturally, and a new gearshift lever, with the ‘M’ proudly on the top.

But MANSORY also offers a bespoke interior conversion to their customers, using exclusive leather in combination with carbon fiber or wood, whichever the client prefers, MANSORY offers 3D-embossed leather, there is even a multi-piece conversion set for the instrument panel, co-driver board, middle console front 2-parts, middle console rear 2-parts, ashtray, cover front and rear, jalousie front and behind, cover for light system front, 4-parts door panels available with carbon and wood.

Finished in a deep black paint with dark carbon fiber touches, the MANSORY Flying Spur W12 gets a power increase to 710 hp (522 kW) while torque goes to 1,000 Nm … as a result, the top speed goes up to 340 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes only 3.6 seconds in this behemoth.

Special Report: Exploring The UK In The 2020 Bentley Flying Spur

There is an element of romance when you travel, not just to reach a destination, but for the thrill of the journey. The ultimate freedom and best way to uncover the undiscovered is by road, guided by a sense of adventure and the desire to make memories. Driving a new exciting road or parking along side one to mentally save an image that will he cherished and looked back upon is one of the greatest automotive experiences you can have. 

When Bentley invited me to create memories in a Flying Spur I was quick to express my desire to accept the brief. It was a not a complicated mission. Have a Flying Spur for a week and drive anywhere I fancied as long as it was in the UK and take a bunch if photos on the way. Simples. This was not the first time I had been set such a task – a few years ago the GTspirit crew took a Bentley Mulsanne all the way up to Scotland to write a story and create a short film. The Bentley took the journey in its stride, not once faltering on the two thousand mile journey and carrying us in supreme comfort and opulence. 

I had no doubt that the 2020 Flying Spur would be any less refined. What I was not expecting was ferocious speed and a breadth of ability that this 2.5 tonne behemoth of a limousine displayed. The size of the FS, literally, is the elephant in the room. It is massive and you notice when you try to negotiate the narrow lanes of London and its, narrower still parking garages. After breathing in an using the plethora of cameras to keep the 21 inch diamond cut wheels unscathed, you’ll find a bay to park in and reverse right to the back of before jumping out and laughing out loud about how the Flying Spur hilariously stretches over the white lines by a considerable length. You’ll never be wondering where you parked it, you can see it poking its chrome grille nose out from quite a distance away. Thankfully manoeuvring the 5.3 metres of metal is far easier than you would expect thanks to the extremely aggressive rear wheels steering. Apply enough lock and you will see the rear wheels turning in the side mirrors, on full lock you will hear them juddering behind you as they shrink the turning circle. 

Back to the task at hand! I adore the South Coast of the UK. Places such as New Forest and Portsmouth are only a couple of hours south of London, waking up at 5am means I am in the forest for sunrise and can spend the day exploring before heading to Portsmouth for a view of sunset on the beach. The massage seats pulsated and kept me relaxed, I was only stopping for coffee and a few splashes of fuel for the W12 to chomp through. And chomp it does, 626bhp and a barmy 0-100 time of 3.8 seconds means the Flying Spur has quite an appetite. Stopping to fill up meant there were plenty of opportunities to exploit the ferocious speed when rejoining the motorway and get back up to cruising speed. The pull in 2nd and 3rd gear is alarming, the numbers build quickly but the sensation of speed is somewhat muzzled by in the cabin that shields occupants from the sounds and harshness of speed. Building velocity in such a manner in any sort of sports car would be significantly more uncomfortable. 

The theme of luxury and comfort continues when I’m off the motorways with the Bentley nonchalantly wafting over horrible road surfaces as though they are marble top smooth. The 48 volt antiroll system that has been around since the first generation of Bentayga is still a marvel, it means the car combats the slightest hint of roll but the air-suspension can remain focused on an keeping occupants isolated from bumps and poor surfaces. The results are sublime. As I arrived at Portsmouth for sunset, I feel as if I can carry on driving for another 7 hours without fearing fatigue. So I do carry on, this time towards Bristol so I can rise early and catch first light in Cheddar Gorge. The 100 mile journey in the dark is just as effortless, the LED lights are terrific and the adaptive cruise control combined with the adaptive high beam assist makes this one of the easiest drives I think I’ve had in any car. 

The trip to Wales was the one which would determine if this trip would have been a success or not. The locations in the Brecon Beacon mountains and the surround coast were far more dramatic than those of previous days. The next and final stop was the Bentley factory where I would part ways with the car, so Wales had to deliver. This journey was one focused on natural beauty and the Flying Spur, I hope the photos give you a sense of just how beautiful the car looks in a variety of settings.