Bentley’s Flying Spur sedan – the ultimate four-door Grand Tourer – is set to be reborn with the company’s new 782 PS (771 bhp) Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain. Launched recently in Bentley’s new Continental GT Speed, the all-new, performance-focused V8 hybrid powertrain will make the new Flying Spur the most powerful, most dynamic and most efficient four-door car in Bentley’s 105-year history. The new Flying Spur will replace the current model, which was launched in 2019.
With 782 PS and 1000 Nm (738 lb.ft) available from the union of a new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine with a powerful yet compact electric motor, the Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain is Bentley’s future, delivering astonishing flexibility from incredibly accessible supercar performance to silent, effortless electric luxury. When fitted to the new Flying Spur, the powertrain will create the ultimate Bentley sedan – potent and tranquil in equal measure, with the added benefit of soundless electric motoring for at least 45 miles. For the Flying Spur, CO2 emissions will be below 40 g/km, with an overall range of more than 500 miles – a truly modern grand tourer.
More details on the new Flying Spur will be released in due course.
The Ultra Performance Hybrid
The new powertrain follows Bentley’s long-standing tradition of supplementing class-leading combustion engines with technology to increase performance. Supercharging in the 1920s was the early forebear to the use of turbocharging from the 1980s to present day. Bentley now goes one step further – bringing even more performance through ‘electrocharging’ – using a potent hybrid system to create the most technologically advanced and most powerful powertrain in Bentley’s long history. The new system delivers almost 150 PS more than the W12 engine in the current Flying Spur Speed, with an additional 100 Nm of torque.
Due to the combination of the V8 engine and electric power, Bentley’s engineers have been able to deliver improved power and torque across the full rev range. This includes a vital boost from the electric motor for strong acceleration from low speeds and throughout the mid-range, combined with increased performance from the V8 engine at higher speeds too. A significant amount of development has also been invested in the exhaust note too, emphasising the cross-plane quality – and without the use of artificial, electronic enhancement.