When Bentley launched the next-generation Flying Spur a little over a year ago, it was met with high praise. That's primarily because the Crewe-based marque threw everything it can at the four-door version of the Continental GT, completing the family portrait of British luxury cars.
Part of that admiration was the W12 engine it comes with, derived from its coupe brother. The all-new vehicle was built from the ground up, but the luxury saloon's overachieving performance of course remains.
Gallery: 2020 Bentley Flying Spur top speed run
The twin-turbo 6.0-litre W12 engine makes 626 bhp (467 kilowatts) and 664 pound-feet (900 Newton-metres) of torque. Bentley claimed that these numbers allow the Flying Spur to reach 62 miles per hour (100 kilometres per hour) in just three seconds, and reach a harrowing speed of 207 mph (333 km/h). For a massive saloon that weighs 2,435 kilograms (5,368 pounds), that's quite impressive, we must say.
In the real world, the numbers aren't far off. The top speed run embedded on top revealed almost the same figures, although the vehicle here only reached 203 mph (326 km/h) per the GPS device used by AutoTopNL.
Luxury and performance, intertwined:
Whether this is the Flying Spur's real-world limit or the tester ran out of concrete was beyond us. After all, the test was done on the unrestricted section of Germany's Autobahn, so uncontrollable factors were always a possibility.
What impressed us, however, was the serenity inside the vehicle even when it's about to reach its limit. It was as if it was just cruising at a normal pace.
Then again, that's the price you pay in a Bentley – performance in a luxurious package.
Source: AutoTopNL (Youtube)