Bentley Flying Spur (2005)

The Bentley Flying Spur (formerly the Bentley Continental Flying Spur) is a luxury saloon produced by Bentley Motors Limited since 2005. It is the four-door variant of the Bentley Continental GT coupé.

Bentley Continental Flying Spur / Bentley Flying Spur
2019 Bentley Flying Spur W12
Overview
Manufacturer	Bentley Motors
Also called	Bentley Continental Flying Spur (2005–2013)
Production	2005–present
Model years	2006–present
Assembly	United Kingdom: Bentley Crewe Germany: Dresden (Transparent Factory (2005 and 2006 only))
Body and chassis
Class	Full-size luxury car (F)
Body style	4-door saloon
Layout	F4 layout

The car is manufactured at Bentley's factory in Crewe, England. Briefly, due to a lack of capacity at the Crewe factory upon the car's introduction, some Flying Spurs destined for markets other than the United States and United Kingdom were built at Volkswagen's Transparent Factory in Dresden, Germany. This arrangement ended in 2006, when all assembly work reverted to Crewe.

First generation (2005–2013)

Bentley Continental Flying Spur
Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed
Overview
Production	2005–2013
Designer	Dirk van Braeckel
Body and chassis
Platform	Volkswagen Group D1
Related	Bentley Continental GT Audi A8 Audi S8 Volkswagen Phaeton GP1 Volkswagen Phaeton GP2
Powertrain
Engine	6.0 L W12 twin-turbo
Transmission	6-speed ZF 6HP26A tiptronic automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	3,065 mm (120.7 in)
Length	2006–08: 5,306 mm (208.9 in) 2009–13: 5,290 mm (208.3 in)
Width	1,915 mm (75.4 in)
Height	2006–08: 1,478 mm (58.2 in) 2009–13: 1,476 mm (58.1 in)
Kerb weight	2,525 kg (5,567 lb) (kerb weight) 2,940 kg (6,482 lb) (gross vehicle weight)[1]

Bentley Continental Flying Spur (Switzerland)

Interior

Overview

The Continental Flying Spur has a 5,998 cubic centimetres (366.0 cu in) (6.0 litre) twin-turbocharged Volkswagen W12 engine shared with the Volkswagen Phaeton saloon, but tuned to produce 560 PS (412 kW; 552 bhp) and torque of 650 N⋅m (479 lbf⋅ft) at 1,600–6,100 rpm. Torsen-based permanent four-wheel drive is standard. It can go 0–100 km/h (0.0–62.1 mph) in 5.2 seconds, and can reach a top speed of 312 km/h (194 mph).[2][3] It also has Adaptive Air Suspension and Continuous Damping Control. Sales began in Spring 2005.[4]

During the first full-year sales of the Continental Flying Spur, the number of deliveries exceeded 4,500.[5]

Petrol engines

Model	Years	Type/code	Power at rpm, Torque at rpm
Continental Flying Spur	2005–2013	5,998 cc (366.0 cu in) W12 twin turbo	560 PS (412 kW; 552 hp) at 6,100, 650 N⋅m (479 lb⋅ft) at 1,600–6,100
Continental Flying Spur Speed	2008–2013	5,998 cc (366.0 cu in) W12 twin turbo	610 PS (449 kW; 602 hp) at 6,000, 750 N⋅m (553 lb⋅ft) at 1,700–5,600

Beginning with 2011 Continental models, the W12 engines supports combinations of petrol and E85 bioethanol fuel types.[6]

Transmissions

Petrol engines

Model	Years	Types
Continental Flying Spur	2005–2013	ZF 6-speed automatic
Continental Flying Spur Speed	2008–2013	ZF 6-speed automatic

The steering column-mounted paddle shifters enable direct access to the six-speed gearbox when the ZF transmission is in "S" or sports mode.

Second generation (2013–2019)

Bentley Flying Spur
Overview
Production	2013–2019
Designer	Luc Donckerwolke
Body and chassis
Platform	Volkswagen Group D1
Related	Bentley Continental GT Volkswagen Phaeton GP3
Powertrain
Engine	6.0 L W12 twin-turbo[7] 4.0 L V8 twin-turbo
Transmission	8-speed automatic[7]
Dimensions
Wheelbase	3,066 mm (120.7 in)[7]
Length	5,299 mm (208.6 in)[7]
Width	1,978 mm (77.9 in)[7]
Height	1,488 mm (58.6 in)[7]
Kerb weight	2,475 kg (5,456 lb)[7]

Flying Spur W12 (2013–2019)

The second generation Flying Spur was unveiled in March 2013 at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show[8][9][10]

Rear view

The "Continental" prefix was omitted; according to Bentley's designers, this was a conscious attempt to take the Flying Spur in a more opulent direction and distance it from the more driver-oriented 2-door Continental GT range[11] (historically, the Continental name has generally been used by Bentley to refer to models of a "sporting" nature). Despite this, the Flying Spur and Continental GT continue to share the same engineering platform.

Interior

Engines

Petrol engines[12][13]

Model	Years	Type/code	Power at rpm, Torque at rpm
Flying Spur W12	2013–2019	5,998 cc (366.0 cu in) W12 twin turbo	625 PS (460 kW; 616 hp) at 6,000, 800 N⋅m (590 lb⋅ft) at 2,000
Flying Spur V8	2014–2019	3,993 cc (243.7 cu in) V8 twin turbo	507 PS (373 kW; 500 hp) at 6,000, 660 N⋅m (487 lb⋅ft) at 1,700(1,750?)
Flying Spur V8 S	2016–2019	3,993 cc (243.7 cu in) V8 twin turbo	528 PS (388 kW; 521 hp) at 6,000, 680 N⋅m (502 lb⋅ft) at 1,700
Flying Spur W12 S	2016–2019	5,998 cc (366.0 cu in) W12 twin turbo	635 PS (467 kW; 626 hp) at 6,000, 820 N⋅m (605 lb⋅ft) at 2,000

Transmissions

Petrol engines

Model	Years	Types
Flying Spur W12	2013–2019	ZF 8-speed automatic with Quickshift, Block Shifting and wheel-mounted paddleshift
Flying Spur V8	2014–2019	ZF 8-speed automatic with Quickshift, Block Shifting and wheel-mounted paddleshift
Flying Spur V8 S	2016–2019	ZF 8-speed automatic with Quickshift, Block Shifting and wheel-mounted paddleshift

Third generation (2019–present)

Bentley Flying Spur
2019 Bentley Flying Spur W12
Overview
Production	2019–present
Body and chassis
Platform	Volkswagen Group MSB platform
Related	Bentley Continental GT Porsche Panamera (LWB)
Powertrain
Engine	6.0 L W12 twin-turbo
Transmission	8-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	3,194 mm (125.7 in)
Length	5,316 mm (209.3 in)
Width	1,987 mm (78.2 in)
Height	1,484 mm (58.4 in)
Kerb weight	2,437 kg (5,373 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor	Bentley Mulsanne (indirect)

Rear view

The third-generation Flying Spur was unveiled in June 2019.[14][15] The car has been completely overhauled and is built on a brand-new platform, resembling the current Continental GT. The front receives a new grille with vertical slats akin to that of a Rolls-Royce, while the rear features new taillights that incorporate a B motif. The hood ornament is now illuminated at night, electrically deployable, and capable of meeting pedestrian impact requirements. Rear-wheel steering is new and is accompanied by air springs with 60 percent more volume than its predecessor. The all-wheel drive system is also new and uses an electronically controlled clutch pack. The interior boasts a rotating 12.3-inch (31.2-cm) display and an all-new Touch Screen remote that allows rear occupants to control several systems. Compared to the second generation model, the new Flying Spur gets close to 130 mm additional wheelbase. It accelerates from 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds and reaches a maximum speed of 207mph(333km/h).

The Flying Spur will become the new Bentley flagship model, as production of the Mulsanne ends in the second quarter of 2020 without a direct successor.[16]

References

1. "Bentley Flying Spur Detailed Specifications". Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
2. "Continental Flying Spur specification". BentleyMotors.com. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
3. Bentley Continental Flying Spur – Media information Archived 23 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine
4. Bentley Continental Flying Spur – an introduction
5. Continental Flying Spur leads Bentley's global sales success Archived 24 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine
6. BENTLEY CONTINENTAL RANGE NOW FULLY FUELLED FOR THE FUTURE Archived 21 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine
7. "Bentley Flying Spur Detailed Specifications". Bentley Motors Limited. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
8. "2014 Bentley Flying Spur makes its Swiss debut". Retrieved 27 October 2018.
9. "2014 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Unveiled Ahead of 2013 Geneva Auto Show". Edmunds.com. 19 February 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013. The face-lifted 2014 Bentley Continental Flying Spur was unveiled on Tuesday ahead of a global debut at the 2013 Geneva Auto Show
10. Bentley introduces the all-new Flying Spur, Bentley Motors Limited, archived from the original on 24 March 2013, retrieved 10 March 2013
11. Bentley introduces the all-new Flying Spur, Daily Telegraph, 20 February 2013, retrieved 10 March 2013, That GT icon was hard to shift in our minds. But eventually we realised we did have the potential to push the boundaries and were inspired to design a car in its own right, which is why the Continental name has been dropped.
12. "THE ALL-NEW BENTLEY FLYING SPUR". Retrieved 27 October 2018.
13. "BENTLEY ANNOUNCES LUXURY AND PERFORMANCE UPGRADES TO CONTINENTAL AND FLYING SPUR MODELS". Retrieved 27 October 2018.
14. Duff, Mike (11 June 2019). "The 2020 Bentley Flying Spur Is New from the Ground Up and Way More Luxurious". Car and Driver.
15. Reid, Rory (11 June 2019). "The new Bentley Flying Spur is a luxury limo you can drift". Roadshow.
16. Walsworth, Jack (15 January 2020). "Bentley drops Mulsanne; Flying Spur to become flagship sedan". Automotive News Europe.

External links

• Bentley pages: Continental Flying Spur, Continental Flying Spur Speed, Flying Spur, Flying Spur W12 Mulliner
• BENTLEY Continental Flying Spur Speed – 2009 Test drive and review by Autoevolution.com
• Press kit: 2009 Continental Flying Spur/Continental Flying Spur Speed, Flying Spur