Our spy photographers in Northern Europe captured a really fascinating prototype earlier at present. A convoy of Bentley vehicles was caught testing with little camouflage and among the many fleet was a black Flying Spur trial automobile. Our spies informed us each time the convoy parked, the drivers rushed to cowl the automotive, which appeared slightly suspicious. Because it turned out, the automotive was out testing on public streets in winter situations for a motive.
We’ve heard rumors about Bentley probably engaged on a V8-powered plug-in hybrid model of its flagship sedan and that is most certainly our first sighting of that automobile. As you’ll be able to see, there are some variations within the entrance fascia versus the prevailing Flying Spur V6 PHEV and the exhaust pipes are completely different as nicely. Most significantly, nevertheless, our photographers informed us this prototype had a extra sonorous engine and exhaust sound, which makes us consider there may very well be an eight-cylinder engine underneath the hood.
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Phrase on the road is Bentley will obtain a model of Porsche’s electrified V8 with a plug that’s at present accessible within the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid sedan. It combines a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter mill with an electrical motor for a peak output of 690 horsepower (515 kilowatts) and 642 pound-feet (870 Newton-meters) of torque. If comparable numbers are additionally accessible within the Flying Spur, this is able to make the brand new plug-in hybrid extra highly effective than the W12 model.
Talking of the 12-cylinder engine, it’s at present solely accessible within the Flying Spur Velocity because the automaker discontinued the common mannequin with the thirsty powertrain. That engine makes 626 hp (467 kW) and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) of torque and accelerates the massive and heavy sedan from 0 to 60 miles per hour (0-96 kilometers per hour) in simply 3.7 seconds. The highest velocity is round 207 mph (333 kph). We don’t anticipate the brand new PHEV mannequin to beat these figures however it’ll ship comparable efficiency with the power for zero-emissions driving and better total effectivity.
