The Car: The Hyper Limousine

THE HYPER LIMOUSINE by Diego Tamone Meet a new legend. Or the third generation of a legend. The new Flying Spur, Bentley’s sporty Grand Tourer, unleashes the ultimate in technology for an extraordinary driving experience and redefines the whole concept of personalisation for a genuinely bespoke result

For 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

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 deeply rooted in this part of the world and in the marque itself and has been passed down from generation since the dawn of motoring history. Since the days when constructors looked after the chassis and the engine but the great coachbuilders worked with the leading designers to tailor car bodies like bespoke suits around the latter. The Flying Spur name was coined in 1952 by Mulliner’s Design Director, Arthur Talbot Johnstone, who borrowed it from the heraldic coat of arms of his family, the Clan Johnstone of the Scottish Borders. It still looks absolutely modern today almost 70 years later. The third generation of the iconic Flying Spur takes to the roads in the first months of this year. It is, of course, a four-door, but also luxurious, powerful and very much a Grand Tourer. This might seem like a slightly odd combination because it is so contradictory. It is also, however, definitely intriguing. Only Bentley could imbue such a car with its own special, nay unique, personality. An uncompromising compromise. Elegantly proportioned with huge presence and character, the new Flying Spur redefines the whole concept of personalisation and recalibrates the meaning of “bespoke”. Although the running gear is set in stone, comprising a 6-litre twin-turbo W12 that delivers 635 PS of power and 900 Nm of torque and is coupled with an automatic dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel steering, this is no limitation at all. There is a positively sumptuous menu of optionals and, of course, tailor-made is part of Bentley DNA at this stage. Open-pore walnut trim, 3D-effect diamond-finish hides, a wifi hotspot, infrared night vision camera and a Flying B that disappears into the imposing bonnet once the engine is switched off: all are there for the asking and all are, naturally, state-ofthe-art. www.bentleymotors.com