Bentley Flying Spur V8
New V8-powered variant solidifies the Flying Spur’s reputation as the best limo you can drive
‘It makes you want to drive a stupidly long distance for the sake of it’
THERE WAS A CHARM TO BENTLEY’S flagship Mulsanne that far outweighed its attributes, which by rights should have placed it firmly in the ‘not an evo car’ category. At well over 5 metres in length it wasn’t a car you’d fling around on a whim. And as it weighed over 2.5 tons you didn’t really want to, because that’s a whole lot of real estate to try and keep on one continent should it go a bit Brexit and want to leave.
Its six-and-three-quarter-litre V8 wasn’t especially advanced, relying on more traditional, tried and tested technology to deliver its thumping performance rather than leading the advancement of the internal combustion engine. But it was a magical motor to experience. It was the heart and soul of the big Bentley until its final days, and every one of the 630 minutes it took to be hand assembled was a minute well spent.
And boy was it always special to travel in a Mulsanne. From the driver’s seat it charmed, seduced and comforted, and supported you like an old friend, while if you found yourself in one of the rear chairs the world’s troubles simply drifted away. More often than not there was no finer place to be than in a Mulsanne. ‘Was’ because the Mulsanne is no more (see issue 279) and the Flying Spur now takes on the dual role of replacing both its own predecessor and Bentley’s glorious icon. The former task is a relatively straightforward one, requiring improvements across the board, which it has and then some. From the way it looks, to how it is put together and how it feels to be driven in or to drive is such a leap on from the original Spur that the only comparable part the two generations share is their name. As with the transformation between the previous and the current Continental GT, the new Flying Spur is on a different level to the original in every conceivable way.
To date that’s been a view held after only driving the W12 version, and now, after spending time with the new V8 model, feelings that the Flying Spur is the best super-limo you can buy are stronger than ever. I’d go as far as to say it’s the best of its kind full stop, regardless of whether the competition is built in Stuttgart or Goodwood.
The 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 is shared with the Conti GT and weighs 65 kilos less than the 6-litre W12 (the Flying Spur V8 is 107 kilos lighter than the W12 overall). It doesn’t have that deep, almost silent tone of the twelve when you press the knurled starter button; there is a subtle bark when the fuel ignites, a chest-clearing rumble from the tailpipes during the cold-start cycle, but soon it settles to a subtle idle, not whisper quiet but with just enough decibels to keep you interested. A passer-by would barely notice it running, but someone who seeks out a V Power pump will pick up on the tone before glancing down to the lower
front wing to confirm their theory it’s a bent-eight they can hear beneath the illuminated Flying B.
With its high shoulder-line and relatively slim glasshouse you feel snug in the Flying Spur, connected to it as much as an RR Ghost leaves you feeling perched on its driver’s seat, looking down on everyone and everything. The Spur V8’s interior is also no less grand and is equally exquisitely appointed as its 12-cylinder big brother’s. As per the Conti GT it delivers the quality of finish and cohesion of design that the Bentayga struggles with. From the get-go it makes you want to drive a stupidly long distance for the sake of it, just so you can spend as much time as possible enjoying being in it. When the outside world is doing its worst, this is a pretty good place to escape it.
Having a twin-turbocharged V8 helps you escape most things, too, even when there’s the
wrong side of 2000kg to haul. More eager to react to throttle inputs, the V8 revs quicker and is more responsive than the W12. Where the latter builds pace at near imperceptible rate and almost in silence, the eight adds just the right amount of theatre to proceedings. If the W12 is a perfectly mixed studio album, the eight is akin to a private gig: not as raucous and unleashed as a full-blown concert, but the right side of engaging and enthralling to make you feel part of an event.
As with all big-capacity turbocharged engines it’s the mid-range that delivers the biggest punch and it’s where the V8 needs to raise its voice to deliver its maximum; peak torque arrives at 2000rpm but with peak power arriving 4000rpm later there’s some graft to be done. The eight-speed auto has no issues delivering the ratios as and when required and it’s one of the few autos that you feel no need to use the paddles with, due to the calibration between transmission and engine being so well matched. Each higher gear arrives as quickly as you require, with downshifts equally well timed; you have to try especially hard to arrive at a corner with the ’box undecided as to which gear would be best.
It’s a similar story with the driver modes, of which there are four: Comfort, Sport, Individual and Bentley, the last of those configuring the engine, gearbox, air-suspension and steering as the engineers feel is best for all situations. No amount of diving into the settings will better their choices.
Clearly the Flying Spur V8 is not going to excite on a track, and neither is a sodden British B-road its natural habit, but while the former will expose the weak points you’d expect of a car of this size and weight, the latter struggles to faze the big Bentley. It has a flow and a natural pedigree to its chassis that results in it never feeling out of its depth, and when there is more space between the white lines or one lane turns into many, the V8 Flying Spur exudes a confidence and capability that has you thinking it could possibly be a better GT car than its GT relative.
A car such as the Flying Spur V8 shouldn’t really fit into an evo world, but somehow it just does. Just as the Mulsanne was a firm favourite for its unique approach to opulence and performance, this latest addition to the Flying Spur family is more than up to the task of continuing this unique tradition.
‘The natural pedigree to its chassis means that it never feels out of its depth’