It seemed sacrilegious, but we preferred the Continental GT with a V8. The W12 was an icon and a class-leading powerhouse in Bentley’s earlier days, but modern engineering made fewer cylinders the way to go if the driving experience was a priority. The Flying Spur is a different matter, though, with low-slung torque and refinement key. With the W12 now dead, Bentley has replaced it with an electrified V8 in its flagship saloon, but unlike previous iterations, fewer cylinders definitely don’t mean less performance.
The only significant visual difference between this and the previous Flying Spur is the adoption of a new diamond-style grille, stepping away from the old vertical slats. This new car is undoubtedly Bentley, with the same exquisite detailing and stately presence we’ve come to expect from its flagships. The stunning £24,990 dual-tone paint of our Mulliner-spec test car draws eyes like you’re royalty – it had one onlooker so distracted they missed the changing traffic lights…
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