2013 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Bentley's first electric car will arrive in 2025 at the earliest

Now that it's back in the black, Bentley is busily planning its move into the electric car segment. The company's chief executive shed light on how his team will link the past and the future. When it comes to new products, company boss Adrian Hallmark told Automotive News Europe that "it's all about electrification." The first Bentley with a plug is the Bentayga Hybrid unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. Looking ahead, an electric car will join the range, but executives haven't decided what form it will take, or what it will be powered by. Several options remain on the table. What's certain is that Bentley won't stuff an electric powertrain into one of the cars in its current portfolio. "We could take one of the existing nameplates, and that could be the first electric car, but we wouldn't take an existing car and try to fit batteries into it, because there's a compromise from a range and efficiency point of view," Hallmark explained. The challenge isn't simply to make an electric Bentley; the British firm wants to ensure its first battery-powered model credibly lives up to the badge on its nose. That means it needs to blend effortless power with an acceptable amount of driving range. Bentley is part of Volkswagen, so using one of the platforms in the group's growing arsenal of architectures isn't out of the question. And, Hallmark affirmed engineers will take advantage of the innovative packaging possibilities made possible by electric powertrains. He explained the firm isn't about to release a Mini, but an electric Bentley could have a smaller footprint than, say, a Mulsanne while offering a comparable amount of interior space. He cited the Jaguar I-Pace as an example, which he said is nearly 14 inches shorter than Land Rover's Range Rover, yet is about as spacious inside because electric motors require less space than a comparable gasoline- or diesel-burning engine. The trade-off is that an electric Bentley would need a sizable battery pack, and designers would likely have to put the car on stilts to leave enough room in the cabin for people and gear if they were to pen an electric car in 2020. Solid-state battery technology will solve that problem when it's ready for production, according to Hallmark, though he didn't reveal whether he's open to waiting for the new chemistry or if Bentley's first electric car will ship with a lithium-ion battery pack.

Bentley plotting rear-drive Continental GT3-R?

Coupe, convertible or Flying Spur sedan: no matter what body-style you get, or what engine you specify, the Bentley Continental comes with all-wheel drive. It's been that way since the model line was first introduced a dozen years ago. But that looks poised to change... at least for one notable exception. According to Autocar, Bentley is all but certain to launch a rear-drive version of the Continental GT3-R sometime next year, ditching the front half of the drivetrain to cut a good 440 pounds off the curb weight to make it the lightest Conti yet. The Continental GT3-R launched last year with less weight and more power, along with a stiffer suspension, upgraded brakes and a titanium exhaust. It drew its inspiration from the Continental GT3 racer, but unlike the competition version, kept the AWD drivetrain in place. "A lot of people expected the GT3-R to be a proper rear-wheel-drive sports car," Bentley's chief engineer Rolf Frech said to Autocar, "but the problem was timing. We needed the car at the end of the first season of our GT3 racing car, and to do a proper change of the complete powertrain needed longer than we had. But we have the concept in our mind, so why not?" Denuded of its all-wheel drive, the Conti GT3-RS – assuming Porsche doesn't mind lending the name to its sister company – would be the most hardcore version of the go-to luxury coupe, and would promise to cut its already blitzkreig 3.6-second 0-60 time down even further. Especially if the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 were tuned to deliver even more than the 572 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque it already kicks out in the existing GT3-R. Chances are it'd be even less accessible, though: the 99 examples of the Conti GT3-R that are coming to the States out of the 300 total to be made already carry a $337k sticker price, and the rear-drive model would likely push the production:price see-saw even higher to the right.

Bentley Flying Spur V8 S solves the ultimate First World problem

Here's a First World problem if we've ever seen one: You want to get a Bentley Flying Spur, but you can't decide which engine. Well, Bentley has just made your decision even harder by introducing another new version. But we'll make it easier on you by telling you that this is the one you want. Slotting in between the existing V8 and W12 versions of the four-door Continental is the new Flying Spur V8 S. It packs the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 as the base model, but augmented to 521 horsepower. That puts it on par, as you might have guessed, with the Continental GT V8 S coupe. It also puts it closer to the 500 hp of the standard V8 than the 616 hp of the 12-cylinder model, but with less weight in the nose, it promises to handle better. With 590 pound-feet of torque channeled to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission, the middle child of the Flying Spur range will rocket to 60 in just 4.6 seconds – 0.3 quicker than the base model – and top out at 190 miles per hour. Despite weighing nearly 5,500 pounds, though, features like cylinder deactivation and high-pressure direct injection mean it will still travel for 520 miles before needing to top up and return as much as 20 miles per gallon on the highway by our own EPA standards. Of course it's a Bentley, and it encompasses all the pampering luxury and status-symbol clout associated with the badge. But if you're looking for the luxury sedan you can push through the corners and rocket down the highway – and have the means to acquire one – your new ride may have just arrived. Look for it to make its debut mere weeks from now at the Geneva Motor Show. BENTLEY FLYING SPUR V8 S: THE SPORTING SIDE OF LUXURY - World's most refined V8 performance sedan gets even more power and torque - Outputs increase to 528 PS and 680 Nm; 0-100 km/h time just 4.9 seconds with a top speed of 306 km/h - Revised suspension offers improved body control and handling without sacrificing comfort - Black radiator grille, rear diffuser and new grille insert give V8 S a dramatic and purposeful appearance - Unique exterior colours and interior trim options - New Flying Spur V8 S makes debut at Geneva International Motor Show, 1 to 13 March (Crewe, 17 February 2016) Bentley Motors is today announcing the introduction of a new model to its range – the Flying Spur V8 S.