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It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

Bentley is the big success story among brands owned by Germany's Volkswagen AG, with the gorgeous new Continental GT boosting

The gorgeous Continental GT has boosted Bentley sales to never before experienced levels, a phenomenon the new Flying Spur will no doubt build upon. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

sales to never before experienced levels.

Still, its four figure tally won't grant it mass market status, a level of sales that Bentley no doubt is not interested in achieving. After all, part of its success is due to a high level of exclusivity. The very knowledge that a neighbour won't be backing out of his driveway in a new Continental is important to a Bentley customer, someone who buys into the legendary marque often as much for its coveted cachet as for the overall experience of owning one of the world's best performance coupes.

I've experienced first hand the "shock and awe" campaign the passing of a Bentley doles out on those surrounding. Most everyone

Like the Continental GT, the Flying Spur will pull eyeballs as much for being a Bentley as for its stunningly elegant styling. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

looks, and then looks again, peering as much at the car as those lucky enough to be inside. The new Continental GT pulls eyeballs as much for being a Bentley as it does for its stunningly elegant styling, an emissary of good taste that speaks highly of its owner.

The same can be said of the new Continental Flying Spur, just released by Bentley prior to its official launch in Geneva, next month. The new sedan looks fast, just like its two-door sibling an important target now realized by Bentley's head of design, Dirk van Braeckel.

"We were very conscious that the Continental Flying Spur had to make a sporting statement when people first saw it - after all it

The sedan will benefit from the coupe's superb road-manners, as well as its effortless acceleration to 100 km/h in a mere 5 seconds, something I've experienced personally. (Photo: John Crawford, Bentley Motors)

is a Bentley," says van Braeckel. "That's actually more challenging with a four-door than a coupé, which will always look 'fast', so we spent a long time working on an appearance of potency while still retaining the presence and stature that customers expect from our cars."

The sedan will benefit from the coupe's superb road-manners too, as well as its effortless acceleration to 100 km/h in a mere 5 seconds and near 200 mph top speed. Bentley doesn't go so far to say the Flying Spur will achieve the coupe's 198 mpg top-speed, although the company safely estimates a terminal velocity of more than 190 mph, which will make it one of the fastest four-doors on the planet and definitely the fastest to ever wear a Bentley badge on its imposing grille.

While I never had opportunity to climb anywhere near the coupe's 198 mph top

The twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 makes a substantial 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque at an extremely low 1,600 rpm, and 552-hp at 4,500 rpm. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

speed, I did take advantage of charging from standstill to slightly higher than posted speeds during a test drive last fall. The twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 makes a substantial 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque at an extremely low 1,600 rpm, 4,500 fewer revs than needed to extract all of its 552 horsepower. And the engine sounds sensational too, more sporting than the traditional blower Bentley 6.1-litre V8. Where the old V8 makes more torque and less power, the new W12 feels more energetic when the revs build, surging forward with a newfound enthusiasm that I've never felt in a Bentley before.

Don't get me wrong, the old 6.1 puts down power to the road with more authoritative kick than a 426 Hemi, and with ten

Part of the reason the Continental GT feels so snappy off the line, as will the Flying Spur, is the superb 6-speed automatic transmission. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

times the refinement, but the new W12 is a different kind of monster. It purrs where the V8 rumbles, and howls when the V8 growls. I love them both, but the high revving W12 suits the lighter, sportier coupe better.

No doubt it will feel much the same in the new Flying Spur, and in so doing making it one of the most engaging 4-doors available. Part of the reason the Continental feels so snappy off the line is its superb 6-speed automatic transmission made by ZF, featuring manual mode actuated either via the gear selector or paddle-shifters that lay behind the steering wheel spokes. The transmission is wonderfully

Most surfaces inside are covered in leather (with more than eleven hides used in each car), suede, wood, and solid chunks of billet aluminum or chromed steel. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

smooth, yet delivers positive shifts when pushed.

The shift lever itself is as jewel-like as the rest of the cabin, a hedonistic den of otherworldly creature comforts and, unusually, nominal plastic surfaces. Most surfaces are covered in leather (with more than eleven hides used in each car), suede, wood, metal, and I don't mean metal-like plastic or even a thin metal "veneer", but solid chunks of billet aluminum or chromed steel especially noticeable with the bullseye ventilation outlets and organ stop controls, all finely crafted in a manner normally reserved for expensive handmade furniture, not automobiles.

Likewise the wood chosen always features matching grains, with beautifully contrasting inlay where appropriate. Again, the

The workmanship of the Flying Spur almost goes unmatched in the industry, with only Rolls-Royce offering anything that comes close. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

workmanship almost goes unmatched in the industry, with only Rolls-Royce offering anything that comes close, and Maybach only treating rear passengers to such old world elegance.

The new Flying Spur won't have the rear seat legroom of the long-wheelbase Maybach 62, or Bentley's top-line Arnage RL for that matter, which shouldn't be a problem for the majority of those buying into the British marque. After all, Bentleys are for driving, not being driven in - other than for the few who managed to purchase the firm's latest limousine and Her Majesty the Queen of England, also a Bentley Limousine customer.

It will be comfortable nonetheless, whether the car is set up with

The sedan will reward rear passengers with greater spaciousness than the coupe, as well as the benefit of rear doors making ingress and egress easier. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

Bentley's four-seat layout, featuring a central console between two electrically-powered rear seats, or a five-seat cabin with full-width rear bench, it will offer more than adequate rear legroom as well as enough shoulder and hip width for larger adults. Heck, I spent a fair bit of time tucked into the coupe's rear quarters and hardly felt worse for wear. Actually, it was quite comfortable. The sedan will reward rear passengers with greater spaciousness as well as the benefit of rear doors making ingress and egress easier, and a lot more respectable when pulling up at the valet.

But being a driver's car first, Flying Spur buyers will appreciate the car's tenacious grip over all road surfaces, no matter

Flying Spur buyers will appreciate the car's tenacious grip over all road surfaces, no matter the weather conditions. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

the weather conditions. Wet weather was something we faced during the Continental GT debut. It wasn't the torrential downpours recently experienced in California or even more recently in Vancouver, nor the ice storms of the East Coast or Mid-West, but just the same the roadways didn't offer maximum adhesion for the duration of my test drive and therefore I was able to put the car's permanent all-wheel drive system to the test.

While rear-wheel power slides are definitely out of the question, the system is biased to the rubber in back giving it the sensation of oversteer without the tail-wagging challenges that such actions might deliver. Overall, it was unflappable in rain or dry, and I imagine that together with its traction and

The Flying Spur, with its all-wheel drive setup, plus traction and stability control, is unflappable over the majority of road surfaces. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

stability control it would be controllable through snow and ice too - or at least as much as any car can be. That same traction should transfer over to the Continental Flying Spur, which also comes standard with all-wheel drive.

"Over the course of its development the car was subjected to a rigorous drive program that saw it complete nearly a million miles on proving grounds, test tracks and roads across the world," reveals Dr Ulrich Eichhorn, member of the board, engineering. "The result is a car whose breadth and capability, in any weather, on any road surface, is simply awesome."

Along with the unseen technologies, the Flying Spur features a high-tech infotainment system as well as four-zone climate

The Flying Spur features a high-tech infotainment system as well as four-zone climate control. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

control, equipment Bentley Chairman Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen was certain buyers would immediately appreciate.

"The Continental Flying Spur has all the technology and equipment that our customers want and need," Paefgen commented. "They will not have to trawl through an options list for hours with their dealer because everything is included. What they will enjoy, however, is the experience of tailoring the car to their taste and style."

With that in mind, like any Bentley, clients can purchase it "off the rack", so to speak, or fine tailor it to their individual specifications. The customization options are as limitless as a person's imagination is creative,

When the Flying Spur becomes available this coming spring, expect pricing to be close to that of the $230,990 Continental GT. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

and of course, limited to what a customer's platinum card can manage.

When it becomes available this coming spring, expect pricing to be close to that of the $230,990 Continental GT. While it is still expensive compared to the BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes of the world, the Flying Spur will be substantially more attainable than the luxury marque's exclusive $300,000 plus Arnage flagship.

Just to be clear, the Continental Flying Spur wasn't designed to replace the top-tier Arnage, but rather complement it by allowing the Arnage to retain its rarified nature while the company increases profitability.

On the subject, Paefgen said, "As Continental Flying Spur production begins, the

Despite Bentley's recent high sales, the British firm will be sure to keep the famed "B" rare enough that all heads will continue to turn when a Flying Spur takes to the road. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

Arnage will retain its true position as the most exclusive limousine in the world. If you work in a major capital city you might see a Continental Flying Spur a few times a month, but you will only come across an Arnage a few times a year. The Arnage will continue to be a bespoke car with real exclusivity."

So, will the Continental Flying Spur is Bentley's "peoples' car", the mass market sedan to rival BMW's 7 and Mercedes-Benzes S-Class? Even if Bentley wanted to expand its brand to reach six figure sales, it would need to halve the price of its Flying Spur to do so. But of course Volkswagen doesn't need any more competition for its Phaeton or Audi A8 than BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and the like are already giving it, and Bentley doesn't want to dilute its brand

There is no doubt that the Continental Flying Spur will pull new buyers through Bentley's door. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

image one iota. The new sedan will be sure to keep the famed "B" rare enough that all heads will continue to turn when a Flying Spur takes to the road.

"With the Continental Flying Spur we are opening our doors to new customers who value that unique combination of luxury, style, excitement and practicality," added Paefgen. "Nowhere else will they be able to enjoy a car that possesses all this as well as the dynamic qualities and power of the Continental GT coupé. The Continental Flying Spur promises a new motoring experience and we look forward to welcoming a new breed of discerning customers to our marque."

No doubt, the Continental Flying Spur will pull new buyers through Bentley's door, expanding its customer base and making our roads look a lot more attractive in the process.

Preliminary Specifications:

• Base Price (estimated MSRP): $230,990
• Body Type: 4-door sedan
• Layout: front engine, AWD
• Engine: 552 hp, 479 lb-ft of torque, 6.0-L, 48-valve, DOHC, twin-turbocharged W12
• Transmission: 6-spd auto with paddle shift actuated manual mode
• Brakes (front/rear): disc/disc, ABS
• Curb Weight: N/A
• Performance (0 - 100 km/h): 5.0 seconds
• Top Speed: 318 km/h (190+ mph)
• Cargo Volume (trunk): N/A
• Fuel Economy (estimated city/hwy): 26.2 / 11.9 (EU certified)
• Warranty (mo/km): 36/unlimited comprehensive
• Direct Competitors: Audi A8 W12 6.0, BMW M5 / 760Li, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S600, S55, Volkswagen Phaeton W12
• Web Site: www.bentleymotors.com

Note: Additional larger photos are available in the photo album.