Even within the face of fading four-door relevance, a brand new luxurious sedan nonetheless turns heads, and that goes double when it’s sporting the Flying B. The 2021 Bentley Flying Spur V8 marks the return of the “entry-level” variant of Bentley’s storied touring sedan, and maybe for the final time, as mum or dad firm Volkswagen seems poised to affect its flagship luxurious model.
As luxurious nameplates go, Flying Spur actually isn’t all that long-running. It was used on a handful of vehicles within the late Nineteen Fifties and early Sixties after which mothballed for 4 a long time, returning in 2005 as a part of the identical Volkswagen status venture that introduced us the Phaeton. The 2 had been even assembled side-by-side for a short interval at certainly one of VW’s German services whereas Bentley’s manufacturing unit in Crewe scaled up; that in all probability went over much better in 2005 than it might have in 1959.
My oldest remaining reminiscence of the (then nonetheless a Continental) Flying Spur’s fashionable incarnation stems from a write-up by a journalist who had embedded with a few of VW Group’s engineers in South Africa. They had been subjecting it to hot-weather validation, operating the prototype (disguised as a Mercedes-Benz) deep into triple-digit territory on distant, dusty highways in a once-unforgiving and distant nook of the globe.
The entire thing appeared very romantic to a 20-year-old school scholar and budding European automobile nut. The notion of a 190-mph super-sedan being examined in a locale that was as soon as the southern terminus of the identified world appeared nearly legendary, and it left me with the lingering picture of the Flying Spur because the type of conveyance one may make use of in a quest to achieve the very ends of the Earth.
Naturally, it wasn’t lengthy after Bentley requested if I wished to pattern the brand new Flying Spur V8 that this affiliation bubbled up. Let’s face it, although; taking a street journey in a grand British luxurious sedan wants no justification. This isn’t a automobile that requires an event; it provides one all by itself.
The 4.0-liter V8’s 542 horsepower might not maintain a candle to the W12’s 626, nevertheless it additionally has to cope with 200 fewer kilos. Mixed with cylinder deactivation, the V8 manages a 16% enchancment in gas economic system, eking out 15 mpg within the metropolis, 20 on the freeway and 17 mixed. The bottom V8 mannequin additionally lacks the W12’s customary all-wheel steering and electronically managed anti-roll bars, however these are nonetheless obtainable for those who’re keen to cough up some additional money, and comparatively little of it, all issues thought-about.
The Flying Spur V8 has a base worth of $196,000. Tip of the iceberg. Porsche’s individualization choices appear like junior varsity efforts within the face of a Bentley “specification” listing. Between the aforementioned all-wheel steering and fancy sway bars, the inside packages and all the exterior dress-up, our Flying Spur’s all-in worth ballooned to $265,565 (together with vacation spot and, sure, fuel guzzler tax). I may in all probability dedicate a complete article to explaining the gear variations between this V8 and the W12 mannequin Snyder drove final yr. Don’t fear, I received’t, however you get the concept.
Our take a look at automobile additionally got here with the range-topping Naim audio system. At $8,880, it was the second-most costly possibility on our take a look at automobile (the $20,460 Mulliner Driving Specification takes that honor), however what an absolute expertise, all the way down to the seat-mounted woofers, which, when tasked with taking part in something up-tempo with a beat, ship what I can solely think about is identical tactile sensation you’d really feel inside a operating popcorn maker.
A transcontinental journey actually wasn’t within the playing cards, however touring from Detroit to Michigan’s Higher Peninsula in March could be an journey in its personal approach, and with all-wheel drive and winter tires, the Bentley could be greater than prepared for any problem I would encounter — or so I assumed.
Whereas a Flying Spur is an incredible machine during which to conduct such a journey, it brings to the desk just a few inherent issues. I’m used to creating journey preparations with loaner autos; the logistics are hardly ever any completely different than regular, although I do keep away from conditions the place the automobile is out of my care – valet parking, for instance – to restrict its publicity to potential calamities. However whereas it’s pretty straightforward to plan a visit with the care of a half-ton pickup or mainstream crossover in thoughts, one may suppose twice about the place to park a $265,000 Bentley.
I’ll be the primary (however actually not the final, as social media swiftly proved) to let you know that I do not belong in a Bentley, and if one look at our tester’s window sticker wasn’t proof sufficient, the three days I spent driving it had been littered with additional proof that I used to be approach exterior of my factor. There was the two-mile drive alongside Detroit’s Woodward Avenue throughout which a younger grownup fanatic actually frolicked of a transferring Mustang Convertible to get video of the Flying Spur. Later in Mackinaw Metropolis, there was the younger boy fawning over it, taking photographs of it from each angle with a smartphone whereas it sat in an out-of-the-way resort parking area, his mother and father ready patiently in a operating automobile whereas he documented his discover.
I’m used to driving vehicles (my very own included) which might be rather more spectacular than I’m, nevertheless it’s not typically I discover myself behind the wheel of a machine that may alter the habits of different individuals so dramatically by its mere presence. I do know the impact could be muted in a extra price-appropriate habitat, however even in a cynically rich enclave, I doubt this deep inexperienced (Barnato) end would go utterly unnoticed.
However whereas the Flying Spur’s aesthetics could also be dramatic, the driving expertise is pure serenity. Certain, even this “lesser engine” packs 542 horsepower; that’s lots for something you’d have to do behind the wheel. It’s athletic, however not within the compact, power-dense method of a BMW M3 or Audi RS4. The Flying Spur weighs as a lot as a Hemi-powered Dodge Durango, in any case; it’s a number of automobile in each sense of the phrase.
Certain, there’s a thrum of tire noise from the 22-inch wheels on Michigan (learn: lunar) concrete, and generally it seems like a miracle that this complete state hasn’t fallen into certainly one of its personal potholes, however the Flying Spur is just about not possible to perturb to any alarming diploma. After I first pointed its nostril north, the Flying Spur stated it had greater than 500 miles of vary within the tank; every certainly one of them vanished nearly imperceptibly.
Its inside is positively replete with toys, too. Nearly every thing could be tweaked and tinkered with, and even when they’ve digital controls beneath them, there’s a comforting variety of bodily controls that all the time appear to reside exactly the place you’d anticipate them. This order feels extra German than British, however that’s neither right here nor there, and for every rigidly engineered part inside, there’s one thing that conjures the picture of the shed-built British flagships of yore.
Take the infotainment system, with its wired-only Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and so-so decision. It feels merely outdated, relatively than charmingly anachronistic, however Bentley doesn’t promote the Flying Spur as a technological tour-de-force, so this truly appears extra on-brand than not.
What stands out most in regards to the Flying Spur is the truth that nothing actually does. Many vehicles’ identities stem from some signature factor, whether or not it’s the MX-5’s light-weight chassis or the Porsche 911’s rear-mounted engine. You don’t elevate a single panel, level, and say, “that’s what makes it a Bentley.” The Flying Spur’s superiority is holistic, its id extra diffuse.
It’s the easy cruising, the on-demand energy, the hidden corner-carving prowess, and sure, even the vaguely outdated however nonetheless supremely competent infotainment system. The Flying Spur isn’t a solo; it’s a symphony — an aggregation of excellence. That is automobile that can make you imagine it will probably do something, with a presence that bestows the identical impression upon its viewers.
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