Bentley’s Flying Spur Has A 207-Mph Top Speed

The Route Napoleon is the path that the previously imprisoned former emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, took in his march from Elba to Grenoble in his bid to overthrow King Louis 18th and reclaim lost glory.

Today, this route is a scenic and challenging driver’s road, twisting through the Alps Maritime, so it seems appropriate that Bentley would choose this road to demonstrate the handling prowess of the new Flying Spur sedan. Along the way, the new car reclaimed the mantle of the original 1952 Bentley Flying Spur, a position that had been lost by the disappointing rendition of 2005 to 2018, which was an ungainly adaptation of a front-drive chassis to premium sedan duty.
The most important element in the car’s rehabilitation, which is vastly more successful than Napoleon’s ill-fated comeback attempt, is a switch to the excellent aluminum rear-drive chassis that debuted in last year’s Continental GT coupe, a car that feels lighter to drive than seems possible for a car of its size.
Bentley’s engineers promised that the Flying Spur, as a four-door interpretation of the Continental GT, would feel equally adept slicing up Alpine switchbacks. It sounded like hyperbole in the technical briefing, but the Flying Spur delivered on those promises on the road.
Cars like this aim to coddle occupants with plush comfort and amenities. The new Spur surely provides that, with details like “sculptural” diamond-knurled air vents, open-pore Crown Cut Walnut wood veneers, and three-dimensional quilted leather. And of course, there are dedicated champagne flute holders built into the rear seat’s center armrest. Because Bentley!
But these things, along with the panoramic sunroof, detachable rear seat Touch Screen Remote Control for the sunshades, seat massagers, climate control and mood lighting, and the “digital detox” Bentley Rotating Display that replaces the dashboard’s center display screen with either a trio of classic analog instruments or a smooth wood veneer panel, are all the expectation for a prestige sedan that lists for $214,600.
And in this age of forced-induction mega-horsepower, even the Flying Spur’s 626 horsepower, 664 lb.-ft. 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 (with fuel-saving cylinder deactivation, for the frugal mogul) is not surprising, despite its smooth excellence. Things start to bend toward real performance as we follow the W12’s power output on its way to the pavement.

By – Abhishek Singh
Content - https://www.popsci.com/story/technology/bentley-flying-spur-luxury-car-review/