Bentley, that most noteworthy British creator of grand touring cars, is celebrating its 100th birthday on July 10 this year, and throughout 2019 the anniversary is being marked around the world in suitably noteworthy ways. And this includes Bentley introducing all-new cars to the market that continue to set new standards. Today it offered us a glimpse of the latest of these. Well, a close up glimpse of the front door card at any rate, joining a previous preview showing the car’s bonnet and emblem. The car is called the Flying Spur, and Bentley reckons it combines the sports sedan and luxury limousine, and promises with it to raise the bar in both luxury standards and driving pleasure.
The eagle-eyed among you will note that a Bentley called the Flying Spur is not new, as there was a previous Flying Spur introduced from 2005. Some reviews of it were a little equivocal, stating that the car perhaps fell in the cracks between being sporty and being a gracious grand tourer. Yet Bentley says this latest model shares only its name with the predecessor, and will “deliver an unparalleled touring experience for the driver and passengers alike” as well as that it aims to be “the world’s best luxury Grand Touring sedan”. This Flying Spur—like the Continental GT, which the earlier Flying Spur preview suggests this car shares styling features with—is a ground-up effort that Bentley reckons “pushes the boundaries of both technology and craftsmanship to deliver segment-defining levels of performance and refinement”.
The cabin contains what Bentley calls an automotive world first of three-dimensional textured leather upholstery, that today’s preview shots show up-close, with material developed by a skilled team of craftspeople based in Crewe, England. And this Bentley says is just one of many new features and technologies that will be on the car.
As outlined, this is just the latest of ways in which Bentley is marking its centenary this year, with other celebrations including creating 100 models of the special edition Continental GT mentioned, which are hand-built by Mulliner, Bentley’s bespoke division. There also are activities on the racing track, including a special Bentley race at the world’s biggest historic motor racing festival, Silverstone Classic, and the Bentley Speed 8 that won the Le Mans 24 Hours race in 2003 plus a host of other historic Bentleys appeared at the recent Goodwood Members’ Meeting.
Images courtesy of Bentley
