The sleeker, more sporty-looking Flying Spur broke cover this evening ahead of the car’s official reveal tomorrow morning. Gone is the current Flying Spur’s upright stance, to be replaced with a shallower window line and powerful-looking rear haunches.
There’s a new gill just behind the front wheel arch and the door handles are now mounted lower on the swage line. The biggest changes are visible at the rear, where slimmer light units frame a shapely new profile.
The new Flying Spur’s interior reflects the uprated trim and finish available on the Mk2 Continental GT, together with a discernible increase in rear legroom.
From launch, the Flying Spur will be fitted with Bentley’s 6.0-litre W12 engine which delivers 616bhp and 580lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque, although it’s not yet clear if the GT’s more fuel-efficient 4.0 litre V8 engine will become available at a later date. CO2 emissions of this W12 engined model have improved by 13 per cent to 343g/km, with a combined fuel consumption figure of 19.2mpg.
The new Flying Spur is some 50 kg lighter than the first generation car, and with a kerb weight of 2,475kg combined with its more powerful engine results in a 14 per cent improvement in power-to-weight ratio. Its performance puts it in a very rare class indeed – 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds, 0-100mph in 9.5 seconds and a top-speed of 200 mph make it the fastest four-door Bentley in history.
As before, power is delivered to the road via all-wheel drive with a 40:60 rear-biased torque split, while a new 19” tyre has been specifically developed, with a 12% relative increase in sidewall height combined with greater vertical compliance to better insulate occupants from imperfections in the road surface.
During development, 12 different tyre constructions were tested and refined to find the optimum balance between refinement and handling performance.
Compared to the outgoing model, suspension spring rates have been softened front and rear by 10 per cent and 13 per cent, while anti-roll bars have been softened by 13 per cent and 15 per cent. Suspension bushes all-round were softened by at least 25 per cent for reduced road surface-induced noise and vibration, which company bosses say has resolved the refinement issues with its predecessor.
As the new Flying Spur approaches its 200 mph the ride height is automatically lowered via the air suspension system in order to compensate for the increased aerodynamic lift – improving stability and reducing drag. The new car has a two-stage lowering strategy, lowering by 5 mm at the front and 10 mm at the rear as it reaches 121 mph and then a further 8 mm and 13 mm at 149 mph.
Making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show on the 5th March, the new Flying Spur will go on sale shortly thereafter.
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