Tag Archives: Bentley

News

Bentley Flying Spur Speed Sets a New Meaning for “All-Weather Performance”

Winter testing usually means cold starts, numb fingers, and a polite nod toward traction control. Bentley, however, decided to rewrite the rulebook—again. At the world’s northernmost active race circuit, just 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle, the Flying Spur Speed has claimed a new winter lap record, proving that four doors and a luxury badge don’t preclude serious performance when the surface turns hostile.

The venue was Drivecenter Arena in Fällfors, northern Sweden, a former military airbase repurposed into a 2.05-mile circuit. In summer, it’s demanding. In winter—when the entire track is buried under roughly 12 inches of ice and snow—it’s borderline absurd. Yet Bentley’s flagship performance sedan circulated the circuit in under three minutes, posting a best lap of 2:58. No car has ever gone quicker here in winter conditions.

That headline time becomes even more impressive when you consider the details. Peak speed during the run touched 120 mph, despite the longest straight measuring just 450 meters and being covered in polished sheet ice. This wasn’t a gentle demonstration run; it was a full-commit lap, with the Flying Spur’s variable all-wheel-drive system and rear-wheel steering working overtime to deliver agility that simply shouldn’t exist on a frozen runway masquerading as a racetrack.

A Record Rooted in Bentley History

Bentley didn’t arrive at this challenge on a whim. The winter lap record was inspired by the brand’s own back catalog of improbable achievements: the Ice Speed Records of 2007 and 2011, and the lesser-known but no less astonishing 1986 endurance feat, when a Turbo R averaged 140 mph for an hour around the banked bowl at Millbrook Proving Ground.

In a thoughtful nod to that legacy, the record-setting Flying Spur—registration Y15 BML—was specified to mirror the Turbo R from Bentley’s Heritage Collection. Finished in Brooklands Green with yellow fine lines, and trimmed inside in Linen, Cumbrian Green, and Open Pore Walnut, the car also marked the Turbo R’s 40th anniversary. It’s a reminder that Bentley’s obsession with speed hasn’t replaced its reverence for tradition; it has simply evolved.

Ultra Performance, Electrified

Underneath the heritage paintwork lies Bentley’s most advanced Flying Spur yet. The Speed is powered by an Ultra Performance Hybrid system pairing a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with an electric motor integrated into an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. In Sport mode, the numbers read like something from a super-sedan fantasy league: 782 horsepower and 1,000 Nm of torque.

The electric motor contributes instant response, smoothing throttle inputs and amplifying traction—especially valuable on ice—while the V8 delivers its trademark cross-plane soundtrack. In pure EV mode, the Flying Spur still produces 190 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque, enough to blend seamlessly into everyday traffic. A 25.9-kWh battery provides up to 47 miles of electric-only range on the EU cycle, while total driving range stretches to 515 miles. Full electric running is possible at speeds up to 87 mph, with up to 75 percent throttle application—numbers that quietly redefine what “EV mode” means in a Bentley.

Chassis Tech That Earns Its Keep

The real hero of this Arctic achievement, however, lives beneath the bodywork. The Bentley Performance Active Chassis comes standard on the Flying Spur Speed and includes Dynamic Ride, all-wheel steering, an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, and a new generation of ESC software. That software allows a broad spectrum of driving styles—from ironclad stability to something far more playful. For the record run, ESC was switched off entirely.

With a rear-biased weight distribution of 48.3:51.7, the Flying Spur gives its chassis systems an inherently balanced foundation. Active torque vectoring shuffles power front to rear via the center differential, while brake-based vectoring fine-tunes distribution across each axle. On dry pavement, that means sharper turn-in and cleaner exits. On snow-covered sheet ice, it’s the difference between motion and inertia.

Luxury, Redefined by Capability

What makes this winter lap record remarkable isn’t just the stopwatch—it’s the context. This is a full-size luxury sedan, trimmed in walnut and leather, capable of whisper-quiet electric cruising one moment and near-racing commitment the next, all while operating on a surface better suited to studded tires and snowmobiles.

Bentley has long argued that true performance should be usable, not conditional. With the Flying Spur Speed, that philosophy has now been tested—and validated—within sight of the Arctic Circle. In doing so, Bentley hasn’t just set a record. It has delivered a reminder that modern luxury, when engineered properly, doesn’t retreat when conditions worsen. It thrives.

Source: Bentley

NEW CARS

Mulliner’s Dutch Masters Collection Blends Art History With Horsepower

Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum has held its share of masterpieces, but it’s not every day that three one-off Bentleys take their place among Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Gogh. At a special event hosted in the museum’s Gallery of Honour, Bentley and its bespoke division, Mulliner, unveiled the Dutch Masters Collection—a trio of Continental GTs that reinterpret the palettes, textures, and symbolism of iconic Dutch art.

More than 200 guests from Bentley’s Dutch dealerships gathered first for a virtual reveal, then for an evening inside the country’s most revered art space—an appropriately dramatic backdrop for cars that blur the line between coachbuilding and canvas.

Car 01: Rembrandt’s “Night Watch” Reimagined

Rembrandt’s 1642 Night Watch never lacked drama, and neither does Mulliner’s corresponding Continental GT Convertible. Draped in Midnight Emerald, the car picks up the painting’s deep shadows, while its interior splashes of Hotspur red riff on Captain Frans Banninck Cocq’s famous sash. A combination of Magnolia and Cumbrian green hides softens the cabin, echoing the lieutenant’s coat and the painting’s muted tones.

Gold organ stops add a subtle baroque flourish, but the real showpiece comes when the door opens at night: an illuminated animation of a floating feather—an Easter egg nodding to the lieutenant’s hat in the center of the canvas. Feather motifs continue across the door cards, set against Dutch Masters badging that reminds you this Bentley is not just a car, but a one-off piece of rolling art.

Car 02: Vermeer’s Light, Captured in Metal and Leather

Few artists command light the way Johannes Vermeer did, and Mulliner’s Vermeer-inspired Continental GT aims to distill that luminance into automotive form. The exterior’s Sapphire satin finish immediately sets a different tone—cool, reflective, almost Delft-like in its purity. A panoramic sunroof ensures daylight floods the cabin just as Vermeer did with his window-lit interiors.

Inside, Beluga and Ocean blue hides establish a calm foundation, broken up by daring flashes of Citric yellow and seat piping in Klein blue. Mulliner looked to Vermeer’s The Little Street for the welcome lamp animation and door card imagery, capturing its rolling clouds with surprising delicacy. The Bentley Rotating Display even receives a hand-painted inner ring and a Klein blue bezel—small touches that elevate the whole car from homage to interpretation.

Car 03: Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” Now in Dark Sapphire and Khamun

If Rembrandt delivered gravitas and Vermeer contributed serenity, then Vincent van Gogh brings emotion—turbulent, color-charged, and unmistakably expressive. Mulliner’s third entry, a Continental GT in Dark Sapphire with Khamun yellow pinstriping, channels the whirling sky of The Starry Night without resorting to mere imitation.

The interior leans heavily on Imperial blue, Dark Sapphire, Linen, and Khamun, a near-direct translation of Van Gogh’s Post-Impressionist palette. Illuminated welcome lamps and etched door panels recreate the painting’s swirling sky, while a dual-finish Piano Linen veneer bisected by a hand-painted Dark Sapphire pinstripe anchors the theme. Open-pore chiselled Walnut across the center console and gold knurled organ stops finish the look with texture and warmth—Van Gogh through a luxury lens.

The Art, Beyond the Cars

Each Dutch Masters Bentley comes with a bespoke presentation key box trimmed in its car’s hides. Open it, and you’ll find laser-etched artwork—feather, clouds, or starry sky—on the inner lid. Mechanically, all three cars share Blackline and Touring specifications, body-colored styling kits, wellness seating, mood lighting, the Bentley Rotating Display, and a Naim for Bentley audio system. In other words: they’re as modern and technologically complete as any Continental GT, just dressed with a level of artistic intention rarely seen in automotive design.

Art Meets Engineering—Literally

Most manufacturers love calling their cars “works of art.” Mulliner’s Dutch Masters Collection is one of the few times that claim holds up to scrutiny. These Continentals don’t merely borrow color palettes—they translate light, iconography, and mood. They’re reinterpretations of three world-famous masterpieces, crafted not for galleries, but for the open road.

And inside the Rijksmuseum, surrounded by centuries of history, these Bentleys didn’t look out of place. That might just be the highest compliment an automotive designer can hope for.

Source: Bentley

News

Bentley Brings Back the Carbon Fibre Styling Spec—Now More Advanced and More Exclusive

Bentley isn’t usually the brand you look to for subtlety, and its latest update to the Continental GT, GTC, and Flying Spur proves that Crewe still knows how to make a 5,500-pound grand tourer feel like a motorsport trophy on wheels. Enter the new Carbon Fibre Styling Specification, a fully reengineered aesthetic and aerodynamic package aimed at customers who want their six-figure cruiser served with a sizeable portion of track-inspired aggression.

And judging by Bentley’s own numbers—one in four previous-generation cars left the factory fitted with the Styling Specification—the appetite for carbon isn’t going anywhere.

A Mulliner-Level Makeover

This latest iteration expands availability dramatically. Previously limited to a narrower slice of Bentley’s portfolio, the carbon package is now open to every variant of the Continental GT, GTC, and Flying Spur, and even makes its way to the Bentayga lineup. More importantly, the Styling Specification has returned to Mulliner, Bentley’s bespoke division, where personalization borders on obsessive. Buyers can now commission carbon components that align with the handcrafted ethos of the brand’s highest tier.

The public got its first look at the refreshed kit on a Continental GT Speed in Orange Flame, shown at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed—because of course Bentley would debut a carbon-festooned grand tourer by sending it up the hill in front of several hundred thousand car obsessives.

Hand-Laid Carbon with Motorsport Intent

The package includes a front splitter, full-length side sills with electroformed Bentley badges, a more comprehensive rear diffuser, and mirror caps, all constructed from multiple layers of structural carbon weave. Bentley insists this is not a styling exercise grafted onto existing bodywork: every component has been developed from scratch alongside the fourth-generation models.

True to Mulliner form, each piece is mirror-matched across the centerline, just like the wood veneers inside the cabin. The side sill badges deserve special attention—each is a three-dimensional electroformed piece, with a faceted, jewelry-like finish created specifically to avoid lacquer bubbles and micro-imperfections. It’s a tiny detail, but one that showcases how Bentley can turn even a performance add-on into a craftsman’s showcase.

Looks Good, Works Hard

The carbon fibre hardware doesn’t just sharpen curbside presence; it actually contributes to performance. Bentley’s new Performance Hybrid powertrains put out a monstrous 782 PS and 1,000 Nm, enough to shove the Continental GT to 62 mph in 3.2 seconds. That kind of thrust needs aerodynamic stability, not just swagger.

Bentley says the components underwent over 100,000 kilometers of durability testing, plus intensive lab-based stress cycles. The new reinforced front splitter is now twice as thick as before—engineered as a functional aerodynamic tool rather than a cosmetic flourish.

Pair the carbon package with the titanium Akrapovič exhaust and the Blackline Specification, and suddenly Bentley’s gentlemanly grand tourers take on a darker, more focused demeanor. Not quite a race car, but certainly a statement that this new generation of Continental and Flying Spur isn’t all about quiet luxury.

For New Buyers—and the Already Converted

Uniquely, the Carbon Fibre Styling Specification is available not just on newly commissioned cars but also as a retrofit for existing fourth-generation models. That gives current owners a chance to bring their cars up to the latest visual and aerodynamic standard—a rare move for an ultra-luxury brand, and one that signals Bentley’s understanding of its audience: owners who want the newest specification, even if their car is already parked in the garage.

Bentley’s new carbon fibre suite doesn’t reinvent the Continental GT or Flying Spur, but it sharpens their personalities in all the right places. It’s more cohesive than the outgoing package, more widely available, and engineered with enough functional credibility to justify its existence.

If you want a grand tourer with the poise of a luxury yacht and the attitude of a Le Mans pit lane, this is Bentley giving you exactly that—and doing it with a level of craftsmanship no other brand can quite match.

Source: Bentley