TheOne_21_The_Car

QUART ERLY - P.I. 31/01 /2020 Intern ationa l € 10, Chf 10,50 , UK £ 7,50 Poste Italiane S.p.a.

Spedizione in Abbon amento Postale - 70% - LO/MI

C A R N E L I A N I S S U E • n° 2 1

CARNELIAN

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65 m Life Saga The Italian Sea Gro

2 0 2 0

ISSUE - n° 21 - 2020 - € 10

The Art of Sailing

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[ The CAR ]

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[ The CAR ]

F

or the last 100 years, it has always been the same story.

With Bentley right in the middle. Just when you think you have seen it all, when you are certain you know how

every possible permutation of luxury looks, feels, tastes and even smells, then a new four-door Grand Tourer bursts onto the car scene and proves you wrong.

This is a typically British phenomenon that is as frustrating as it is incredibly rewarding and exhilarating. In the British countryside where Bentley has had its headquarters for the last

Beneath that gleaming bonnet lies a twin-turbo W12 that unleashes 635 PS of power and 900 Nm of torque and is coupled with an 8-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel steering.

The result: a supercar with a red-line speed of over 330 km/h

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The impeccable elegance and proportions of its lines are absolutely Bentely as is the meticulously finished cabin. An exclusive sports limo and a worthy successor to the first Flying Spur of 1952

century, the sports limo concept is very much at home. It is

Only Bentley could imbue such a car with its own special,

deeply rooted in this part of the world and in the marque itself

nay unique, personality. An uncompromising compromise.

and has been passed down from generation since the dawn of

Elegantly proportioned with huge presence and character, the

motoring history. Since the days when constructors looked after

new Flying Spur redefines the whole concept of personalisation

the chassis and the engine but the great coachbuilders worked

and recalibrates the meaning of “bespoke�.

with the leading designers to tailor car bodies like bespoke suits

Although the running gear is set in stone, comprising a 6-litre

around the latter. The Flying Spur name was coined in 1952

twin-turbo W12 that delivers 635 PS of power and 900

by Mulliner’s Design Director, Arthur Talbot Johnstone, who

Nm of torque and is coupled with an automatic dual-clutch

borrowed it from the heraldic coat of arms of his family, the

transmission and all-wheel steering, this is no limitation at

Clan Johnstone of the Scottish Borders. It still looks absolutely

all. There is a positively sumptuous menu of optionals and, of

modern today almost 70 years later.

course, tailor-made is part of Bentley DNA at this stage.

The third generation of the iconic Flying Spur takes to the roads

Open-pore walnut trim, 3D-effect diamond-finish hides, a wi-

in the first months of this year. It is, of course, a four-door,

fi hotspot, infrared night vision camera and a Flying B that

but also luxurious, powerful and very much a Grand Tourer.

disappears into the imposing bonnet once the engine is switched

This might seem like a slightly odd combination because it

off: all are there for the asking and all are, naturally, state-of-

is so contradictory. It is also, however, definitely intriguing.

the-art. www.bentleymotors.com

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