Bentley Flying Spur | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

Bentley Flying Spur | Test Drive

15 June 2020 Redazione News, Stories, Tested

A mature icon that to the typical sex, drugs and rock’n roll prefers a more politically correct leather, torque and rock’n roll, where the constant is its ability to move from one country to the other faster than thought.

Words by Alessandro Marrone / Photos by Gian Romero

Have you ever tried to read a book starting from the last page? Actually, what reason would you have for doing such a thing? It would not even be enough to understand that the random butler was not the murderer, let alone if the novel in question is not one of those “detective” thrillers suffering unnecessarily yet countless and disinterested unknown hands through its pages, dying them in some sort of dirt white. And this time there is not even the typical excuse of the vintage object, given that on the cover there’s probably an angular cartoon with a discount price written in large letters and perhaps still in the old coin now no longer in use. Are you still with me right? And maybe it is so because after all it is not so much the ending that matters, as the development of the story itself, as if to paraphrase the legendary motto that embraces travel and destination, key points when we are dealing with grand tourers. And if we can’t judge a book by its cover – I swear I’ll stop it – it’s also true that when you’re in front of a Bentley, the rest of the world seems infinitely smaller.

The Flying Spur welcomes its third generation and if with the previous one it has underlined how much it wanted to differentiate itself from the Continental GT coupe, with this new one it is ready to raise the dynamic qualities of a huge airship on wheels, as an authentic and pure grand tourer. A four-door Continental GT, we could dare to say, but which keeps its identity intact as the missing link between the proverbial two-door and the more mammoth-sized Mulsanne. Review all the adjectives you are able to bring to mind if you think of a pachyderm, but do not forget that despite the 5.3 meters in length and the almost 2 and a half tons of weight, we have a twin-turbo 6-liter W-shaped 12 cylinder (yes, 2 V6 warmly embracing each other) ready to take Crewe’s apartment off the ground with performances that for all intents and purposes enter the territory usually prerogative for traditional supercars. With these premises, the risk of wanting to put too many ingredients in a single dish is high, but at Bentley they know what it takes to tickle the interest of their customers and in the same way they are aware that everything must fit perfectly, especially in a world where even brands with a wider catalogue certainly do not give up this elitist slice of the market.

We have left the center of Milan, because although it is a car that could realistically travel several kilometers in urban centers, we believe that in order to really understard the true character of your steed, you have to loosen the bridles, thus allowing to dive deep into all the nuances that make the new Flying Spur a Bentley that does not want to be considered as the “Conti GT, but bigger”. To my amazement and after not having even pressed a tenth of the buttons that enrich the central tunnel, I notice that between the excellent visibility granted by an incredibly bright interior despite the reduced glass surfaces and the exceptional driving position, we manage to free ourselves between the narrowest streets as if you were behind the wheel of a car that could be easily placed in the immense luggage compartment. The only moment of uncertainty happens when you approach intersections and the b-pillars completely cover the view on your rear three quarters. I immediately select Bentley mode, i.e. the one that allows the onboard brain (not the one of the driver, ed) to adapt the dynamic parameters of the car based on the driver’s driving style, a bit like having everything set for comfort, but with the ability to instantly switch in attack mode as soon as you remember there is an engine that could illuminate an entire country.

With the same ease with which you devour kilometers on the motorway, pampered by the incredible softness of the set-up and the leather armchairs for which you would sell your soul just to have them in front of your desk at the office, the Flying Spur expects nothing more than to give life to those cylinders left to rest in favor of better fuel consumption and lower emissions. Classy. It is necessary to hold tightly behind the wheel and not being intimidated by that feeling of seeing the winged B on the end of the hood almost trying to take off towards the horizon, all while the twelve cylinder gains volume, without however being pimp, also thanks to the incredible soundproofing of the passenger compartment that recalls how this is primarily a car focused on representing the best concept of contemporary luxury. We move fast, with extreme ease and without the slightest effort we reach speeds that make crucial the enormous mechanical effort that takes place below. In addition to the well-known all-wheel drive that manages to better manage a power of 635 horsepower and a torque of 900 Nm that tattooes you on the seat the moment you press hard on the throttle, we have a steering rear axle that virtually shortens the wheelbase of the car facilitating entry through corners and pneumatic suspensions that compensate both the size and the mass of the Flying Spur.

The inputs I get behind the wheel are exactly what I never expected and I say it in the good sense of the term. This Bentley is in fact able to move like a leopard ready to launch its deadly attack, not caring if it will certainly not pass unnoticed because it has the size of an elephant. A very agile pachyderm then, which goes from a criminal asylum’s pace to representing the most relaxing place on which you have been sitting in the last twenty years. The interior is a riot of leather (soon also available in a vegan option!), fine wood, aluminum details and other bits that seem to be placed there to amaze your friends, such as the central rotary display that allows you to choose between the generous and modern 12.3-inch screen, or to have three analog instruments, in perfect harmony with the past of a brand alive and well and always ready to underline its heritage. The Bentley Boys would know what to do, but since I will need my driving license for a few more years, I decide to start enjoying the fantastic landscape that peeps out of the window. I turn off the air conditioning, lower the glass and let the fresh mountain breeze caress my face. The eyes bounce between the green of the meadows and the trees in the heart of their spring splendor and the wonderful contrast of the green over tan of our First Edition, a special version produced for only 12 months and that includes the tick to all the options that you may ever wish. In the meantime, the colleague comfortably sunk on the rear armchairs, enjoys the maximum on-board technology that can also be controlled by a removable touch-screen remote control that really recalls a latest generation smartphone.

By allowing the photographer to do his work, I take the opportunity to look at it carefully even from the outside and never in a single moment I have found myself comparing it to the Continental GT, never so close yet never so distant. If they share what engineering makes them effective in every situation, chassis, the 8-speed ZF gearbox, the same engine and all the technical pros that allows you to show off with ease, being in the driving seat is an experience that places them light years apart. Where the coupe seems to be more pressed on the ground and always ready to attack a road full of bends, the Flying Spur is like the older brother in charge for keeping things in order, still capable to make the big voice if the situation makes it necessary. It has a line that I can hardly believe can ever grow old and like good wine, or like almost all the British cars of those golden years when they were drawn using a pencil and not a computer, it will gain class with the passing of time, resulting even potentially more affordable for those customers who are unable to invest 270 thousand Euros in this precise moment.

A Bentley, as it should be, is something that does not have to ask for permission, but if up to now it has always moved with a casual and immediately recognizable elegance, now it seems to be playing the role of a rock star on top of his success. A mature icon (in its case it turned 100 last year) that to the typical sex, drugs and rock’n roll prefers a more politically correct leather, torque and rock’n roll, where the constant is its ability to move from one country to the other faster than thought, confirming that once you arrive at your destination, the great side of the Flying Spur will not only be that of the trip, but also the fact of being able to enjoy your destination aboard an almost- limousine that loves to be driven. Forget the driver so, if I haven’t clarified it properly, the Flying Spur takes 4.6 seconds to go from 0 to 100 kph and 0.01 seconds to switch from total relax to heart attack speed, a bit ‘like when you pinch its 322 kph top speed. This book has a cover as massive as its lines, a front grille that devours air, flies, kilometers and everything it will find along the way. A sober and clean design that develops its plot with a driving dynamics that becomes the main chapter of a proper masterpiece.