The weather broke the day the Bentley Flying Spur arrived. Instead of scorched, grippy blacktop, the roads slithered with an emulsion of tree pollen and diesel, just the thing for a big luxury saloon with 616bhp – yes, you did read that correctly.
I can’t say I was particularly looking forward to driving Crewe’s new super limo aimed largely at the Chinese chauffeur market, which already takes the Lion’s share of Flying Spurs. With the air springs dialled back by 10 and 17 per cent front and rear, anti-roll bars softened by 13 and 15 per cent respectively and suspension bushes 25 per cent softer, I wondered about the wisdom of fitting the most powerful-yet version of Ferdinand’s Piëch’s W12 engine, which first debuted at the 2001 Tokyo Show. The 1966 Dodge Charger 7-litre V8 Hemi mustered 435bhp, which even at idle, would rock the entire car on its heavy duty springs. Wayward didn’t even begin to describe a full power run in that epochal muscle car and as for stopping on its tiny drum brakes... Was this 200mph Bentley going to be the 21st century update on this white-knuckle ride?
The first Flying Spur was a handsome and more upright version of the gorgeous S1 Continental coupé, launched in 1957 with its name derived from the family crest of Arthur Talbot Johnstone, the MD of HJ Mulliner. The second version was a similarly conceived, if less handsome car, launched in Venice in 2005.
THE FACTS
Bentley Flying Spur
Tested: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12 petrol engine, eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, all-wheel drive
Price/on sale: From £140,900, as tested with extras £182,140/now
Power/torque: 616bhp @ 6,000rpm/590lb ft @ 2,000rpm
Top speed: 200mph
Acceleration: 0-60mph in 4.3sec
Fuel economy: 12.6mpg/19.2mpg (EU Urban/Combined). On test 9.8mpg
CO2 emissions: 343g/km
VED band: M (£1,065 for first year, £490 thereafter)
Verdict: Great looking, superbly fitted out, comfortable to a point, with get up and go agility. Roll on the V8 version.
Telegraph rating: Four out of five stars
at the end AJ LIMOS would like to confirm that the source of information or credit of information is Telegraph : www.telegraph.co.uk
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