It may be hard to believe, but by this time next year, the Bentley Continental Flying Spur will have been in production for two decades - surpassing the 12-year run of its much-loved predecessor, the Arnage. Today, Bentley has launched the fourth-generation Flying Spur, and the car is more significant than ever as rivals like the Aston Martin Rapide and Maserati Quattroporte have disappeared from the market. 

Despite the changing landscape, Bentley has continued to push forward, investing heavily in the Flying Spur's development. Long associated with opulence and performance, the latest iteration - equipped with Bentley’s new Ultra Performance Hybrid system - aims to elevate the model into the realm of four-door supercars. Nearly two decades after its debut, this new version combines power, refinement, and a renewed focus on environmental responsibility.

Powertrain Innovation: The Ultra Performance Hybrid

At the heart of the new Flying Spur is Bentley’s Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain, which combines a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine with an electric motor to produce 771 bhp first seen in the new Continental GT. From that output, 584 bhp comes from the V8. Despite the demise of the W12 engine, this represents a notable improvement over the outgoing Flying Spur Speed, which offered 650 bhp.

Bentley claims the Flying Spur is the firm's first “four door supercar”, and the numbers certainly speak for themselves: 0-60 mph takes just 3.3 seconds, making it half a second quicker than its predecessor. The all-wheel-drive system, paired with the electric motor, delivers 1,000 Nm of torque, ensuring smooth