The new Bentley Flying Spur is a welcome departure from what we were used to seeing in recent year, and it looks like a very modern interpretation, of one of their cars from the mid-1990s, especially from the back. It has now made its official North American debut, at the 2013 New York auto show, along with an updated version of the Mulsanne flagship.
This makes the Bentley stand at the motor show particularly interesting, as the Mulsanne is a sight wherever you see it, and the new Flying Spur is a basically a new car. Sure its platform may have only been overhauled, but it looks so much more modern than the car it replaces, so that can be excused.
Powering it is the latest development of the six-liter twin-turbo W12 power plant, which thoroughly deserves being called that due to its sheer bulk – it puts out 616 hp and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm), which is sent to all four wheels (60 percent to the rear wheels at all times) via a new eight-speed self-shifter from ZF.
Thanks to a reported 14 percent better power/weight ratio, compared to its predecessor, the Flying Spur can reach 60 mph (96 km/h) in 4.3 seconds, and it tops out at 200 mph (320 km/h). That is serious performance when you consider just how much weight is being lugged around, as it has all of the interior amenities you’d expect from the Flying B.
The new Flying Spur has a base MSRP of $200,500 in the U.S., with arrivals to begin during the second quarter of the year.
The refreshed Mulsanne, which is the self-proclaimed “pinnacle of British luxury motoring”, gets several updates for the model-year transition. Bentley says that a “range of new luxury features have been added to the Mulsanne and are on display for the first time in North America, offering a new suite of entertainment and communication system options.”
What this means is that buyers can now specify “Specifications”. They now offer an Entertainment Specification, a Comfort Specification, along privacy curtains for the rear passengers, which Bentley says allows them to ” maximise work or rest as they travel.”
By Andrei Nedelea
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