Bentley Continental Flying Spur — Breakfast At Epiphany

Are you a candidate for a Flying Spur? You are if you can afford the $181,885 price tag and harbor the unrequited urge to convey five passengers cross country at 195 mph. In a world ever more constrained by making do with lowest common denominators, the Flying Spur is so far off the commoner charts that you need a GPS to find it in the stratosphere.

Unlike the Arnage, its stodgier and more expensive stable mate, the all-wheel-drive, twin-turbocharged, six-liter, 12-cylinder Flying Spur is a limousine designed to transport Mercury, god of speed. It is, in fact, the fastest five-passenger automobile in the world. Where Mercedes and Audi limit the top speed of their sedans to 155 mph for North America, Bentley takes a different tack. If you desire to traverse the entire state of Nevada at 195 mph, Bentley will oblige, and the Flying Spur will do your bidding.

The likelihood, however, is that the Spur will see service at somewhat lesser speed. You wouldn’t want to panic your cosseted passengers when you could simply convey them to their destination with ethereal equanimity. Let them bask in the glow of the ochre leather, hand stitched from the flawless hides of 11 Northern European cows never exposed to the trauma of Southern European barbed-wire fences. Let them focus on the book-ended, unbleached burl walnut waist rails that run the length of the elongated cabin. These characteristic wooden security fences are clear coated rather than stained, symmetrically matched side to side, and dramatically curved over aluminum base material. The interior surfaces — door panels, instrument cluster, ventilation controls — are exquisitely done, museum-quality panels that would look right at home in a museum of modern art display on the wonders of technology.

But it would be shortchanging the chancellor of the exchequer to dwell on cosmetics when so much of this steed’s virility depends on engineering. Take the all-wheel-drive distribution system, for example — packaged front and rear differentials along with 6 ZF gears, 12 cylinders, two turbochargers, 48 valves, and four camshafts. With traction enhanced by 20-inch-tall Yokohama 275/35R20 Advan Sport tires developed for this application, the Spur distributes its 650 newton-meters of torque and 560 horsepower with the agility of a ballet dancer.

Although the Spur is based on the Continental GT coupe platform, Bentley engineers insisted on a suspension revamp to cope with the 12-inch added length and extra heft of the 5,456-pound Spur. They developed new aluminum front and rear suspension carriers for the Spur, revised its air spring rates and bushings, and reprogrammed electronic dampers to lower the front by 10 mm and the rear by 25 mm at speeds over 155 mph. Initial testing of the Continental was performed by repeat LeMans winner Derek Bell at the 14-mile-long Nurburgring circuit in Germany.

Although the Spur approaches perfection on many fronts, its climate control system let us down on a 100-degree California afternoon. Even after 15 minutes of running with the climate system maxed out, the interior of the Spur remained uncomfortably warm for its occupants. And lose those paddle shift controls. These giant plastic elephant ears look woefully out of place and interfere with operation of the turn signal stalk. So dump the Dumbo paddles and let the superb steering wheel — which takes Bentley craftsmen five hours to construct — stand on its considerable own merit. — David Colman

Specifications

Type: Front engine, all-wheel drive

Engine: 6.0-liter W12, DOHC, 48 valves, twin turbochargers

Horsepower: 560 @ 6,100 rpm

Torque: 650 @ 1,600 rpm

Base Price: $164,990

As Tested: $181,885

Fuel Economy: 11 city/18 hwy

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Custom Car Convention
On November 19 at the San Diego Convention Center, DUB Magazine will host its 5th Annual Classic Auto Show and Concert. Considered the nation’s largest automotive festival tour for the automotive lifestyle, there will be custom cars aplenty, celebrity owned vehicles, as well as a chance to see some of the newest accessories from the world’s top companies. While you’re there, check out the newest offerings in luxury, import, and exotic vehicles from such manufacturers as Cadillac, Ford, Chevy, Honda, and many others. Concerts will occur throughout the day with such hip hop artists as Paul Wall, Slim Thug, Lil Scrappy, Xzibit, Jamie Kennedy and Stu Stone, and Federation — plus a surprise performance from an unnamed artist. The lovely and talented DJ Lady Tribe will provide dance music all day. There will also be dance contests and DJ competitions to enjoy. (www.dubmagazine.com) — Nickolas Cook