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Bentley Flying Spur pictures leaked early

We can imagine that automakers are among the groups salivating at the prospect of a colony on Mars - perhaps a photo studio on the red planet will be far enough away from the terrestrial Internet to keep everything they've got from leaking all over the web. In the midst of Bentley's teasing for the next-generation Flying Spur, someone got in early on a set of photos and decided to share them with us.
The transformation is all about character, the super sedan's lines getting injected with a whole lot more of it. The family face of the Continental line is evident, the new Spur getting a more upright grille than before and a Mulsanne-esque undivided lower grille. The front fenders get narrow, horizontal vents, and behind that the character line that starts with at the hood shutline runs in a long arc to the rear door, then rolls up into haunches that terminate at the very back. Lower down, a character line cuts up the bulk up the sides. In profile there is a definite hint of this being a junior Mulsanne.
The only item we see at the moment that could take some getting used to are the horizontal taillights. Housing a large single element topped by curved red brows, our initial impression is that they lack the flow of the rest of the car. Inside, it's what you'd expect from a Bentley.

Bentley Continental, Mulsanne get Le Mans limited editions

Bentley is celebrating the 90th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with two special edition model. Both the Mulsanne and Continental lines can now be fitted with six new specification packages to mark the event, each named after a famous racer from the automaker's past. Each package one combines select exterior colors with with special interior combinations that pay homage to the gents who took the company's cars to victory in France.
John Duff, Dudley Benjafield, Woolf Barnato, Tim Birkin, Glen Kidston and Guy Smith all get their own namesake packages. You can see the full run down in the press release below. So far, there's no indication as to exactly how much each pack will cost, but we have a hard time imagining a dollar figure scaring off any potential buyers.

Bentley bringing Flying Spur V8, upgraded Continental GT Speed to Geneva

Until the new Falcon sport-ute comes along, Bentley is still a brand that revolves around two model lines: the Mulsanne, which is available essentially in one form, and the Continental family, which is available in many. The Flying B marque has traditionally offered the V8 version in two specifications and the W12 in three, and packaged them into three different bodystyles. With the Geneva Motor Show fast approaching, Bentley is rolling out two more.
First up is the Flying Spur which, despite having dropped the Continental from its name, is still based on the same. Bentley opted to skip the base W12 version when it introduced the new Flying Spur at last year's Geneva show, going straight for the more powerful version that would otherwise wear the Speed moniker. But now it's bringing a V8 version to the Swiss auto expo.
In addition to the W12, the Flying Spur will now be offered with Bentley's 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. For the time being at least, Crewe is offering it in the base, 500-horsepower spec, and not with the more potent 521-hp from the Continental GT V8 S, but we're still looking at a 0-60 time of 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 183 mph. And that's pretty fast for a four-door sedan, no matter which way you cut it. Power is channeled once again to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission, riding on an air suspension. There's a Mulliner Driving Specification package to make it even more derirable, the reduced weight in the nose ought to make it handle better, and with cylinder deactivation, promises to deliver much better fuel economy.