Squarely aimed at buyers of top-end saloons from BMW and Mercedes, the Continental Flying Spur is based on the Continental GT - the Bentley coupé that has been a runaway best seller for the Crewe-based outfit in recent years. In this quest to widen its market, Bentley has produced an extremely powerful, rapid super-saloon with an entry-level price tag of well over £100k.
The Flying Spur's exterior design is very much in keeping with the Continental GT, with a conservative bow sweeping towards a bolder, more striking stern. Unlike some leather-plumped luxo-barges by the British marque, this one fully delivers for space, and both front and rear occupants will find it very comfortable. Modern design touches punctuate the Bentley-standard festival of wood and hide, and the quality and finish feels significantly improved over the car's hand-built predecessors.
Such luxury is mated to outstanding performance, lead by a twin-turbo W12 engine that's strong enough to take the car over 200mph - quite incredible for such a comfy cruiser, and unrivalled amongst four-door full production cars. Aerodynamics have been designed to keep the Flying Spur stable at extreme pace like this, with touches like a rear diffuser to improve downforce over the back axle. It's quite an achievement that the car also handles remarkably well, combining impressive grip with actual agility, to produce reassuringly predictable handling. Most owners will make rare visits to the edges of this car's performance bracket, though, and the air-sprung suspension produces excellent refinement under more mundane conditions, complemented by first-rate sound deadening.
The Flying Spur is an excellent piece of engineering and offers supreme luxury, but trends suggest most people now expect something a bit more stylish from a luxury saloon.