New Bentley Flying Spur V8 Focuses on Driving Experience

Bentley recently unveiled the 2021 Flying Spur V8, a lighter and more driver-oriented version of its flagship luxury sedan.

Bentley recently brought in a petrol V8 powertrain, sourced directly from its sportier twin, the Continental GT, now making a healthy 542 HP and 770 Nm of torque.

These figures are good enough to send the Flying Spur V8 from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds, just a millisecond slower than the GT, with a top speed of 198 mph. Indeed, these are impressive numbers for a heavy saloon focusing on both luxury and performance and i.

Even though it’s slightly heavier than the two-door sedan, the V8 Flying Spur is reportedly 100 kgs lighter than the top-of-the-line W12 model.

Bentley claims that the V8 Flying Spur will be produced at Bentley’s home in Crewe — the world’s first carbon-neutral luxury car factory.

Again, it’s an interesting highlight because the powertrain is still a big, hungry V8. However, much of the brainstorming led to significant changes to the powertrain to reduce its carbon footprint, leading to a reduction of 17% in CO2 emissions when compared to the larger W12.

The V8 makes 22 mpg in combined city-highway tests, which is also 16 percent better than the W12. To achieve such a feat, the Flying Spur features a cylinder deactivation mechanism that switches off 4 cylinders when the engine runs below 3000 rpm at cruising speeds, resulting in lesser fuel consumption and lesser emissions. And all that happens in a mere 20 milliseconds, making it almost imperceptible for the occupants.

The interior design and features remain the same as before, with 4-seater or 5-seater configuration options. Regarding the exterior, the differences lie in the newly designed wheels, V8 badges, and the new quad-exhaust system.

Expect deliveries to begin before 2021, with the car already available for orders. Prices have not been confirmed yet, but the Flying Spur is expected to start close to £160,000.

Source: Bentley