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Yes, it's Still the Stuff of Dreams for Most of Us, but even Bentley now Stresses Safety 

 

22 February, 2005

 

 

The new Bentley Continental Flying Spur will make its international debut at the Geneva Salon on 1 March, 2005.

 

The increase in wheelbase over the Continental GT coupé means the Continental Flying Spur will react differently to the physical forces created in the event of an accident. The change in what is known as its 'crash pulse' means it has a revised crash structure between the engine and front bumper. To ensure the highest possible protection in the event of a head-on crash the car was subjected to a series of advanced simulated crashes on a super-computer as well as more standard real world tests.

 

Bentley's advanced Dynamic Crash Analysis (DCA) capability means much of the trial and error traditionally associated with providing a car with good impact resistance has been bypassed. Indeed, so highly developed are the procedures that Bentley's engineers can put the Continental Flying Spur through a real world crash test with great confidence that the result will vary in no major way from those predicted in the virtual world.

 

Nevertheless it should be understood that DCA, as with all virtual design work, will never replace real world test procedures, nor was it ever designed to. Its role is simply to ensure that by the time these tests are conducted, the product is in as good a shape as possible to meet each new challenge.

Photographs courtesy of Bentley

 

To protect its occupants, the Continental Flying Spur is equipped with a full suite of safety equipment. There are two front airbags, four side thorax airbags for the front and rear-seats and full-length curtain bags that extend to the back of the cabin. Seat-belt pre-tensioners are used for all seats and a passenger occupant sensing system in the rear seats automatically raises the rear headrests to ensure the best possible protection against whiplash injuries.

 

It's not just the range of safety systems that protect the car's occupants, for the Continental Flying Spur's all-round abilities mean the driver is assured of having the performance to avoid many accidents in the first place. The all-wheel drive system offers major safety advantages not only in adverse road and weather conditions, while the latest traction, stability and brake control systems offer further opportunities to avert potential danger. Similarly the powerful 6.0-litre engine means outstandingly fast acceleration and a reduction in the time spent on the wrong side of the road during overtaking. To this end, the Continental Flying Spur is specified like no other four-door in the world.

 

Bentley Continental Flying Spur - Overview

  • An all-new four-door Grand Tourer born of the Continental GT coupé that blends peerless Bentley craftsmanship and design with modern technologies.
  • Inspired by the 1952 Bentley R-Type Continental and 1957 four-door Continental Flying Spur, from which the new model takes its name.
  • Exhilarating supercar performance thanks to a top speed of 195mph (312km/h) and a 0-60mph time of 4.9 seconds (0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds).
  • Powered by a 6-litre, twin-turbocharged, 12-cylinder engine engineered and built at Bentley's factory in Crewe. Tuned to provide not just a massive 552bhp but also the legendary Bentley wave of torque from low revs.
  • A high-tech, all-wheel-drive system for exceptional stability and grip in any conditions is driven by an advanced six-speed automatic gearbox with paddleshift controls.
  • The Continental Flying Spur shares the massive braking system introduced on the Continental GT coupé. The 405mm ventilated front brake discs are the largest on any production passenger car on sale today.
  • A stunning cabin that uses exquisite Bentley design and craftsmanship to create a spacious, welcoming interior. A classic mix of leather hides and wood veneers are combined to give a contemporary but timeless appearance.
  • Over 11 leather hides are used to make a complete set of upholstery in the Continental Flying Spur. These are traditionally imported from northern Europe, where the relatively insect-free environment benefits leather quality.
  • Spacious rear legroom provides total comfort for all passengers with a five or four-seat layout optional at the time of purchase.
  • All expected technology and feature content in the Continental Flying Spur comes as standard, meaning customers only have to choose options in order to personalise their car, rather than complete it.
  • Designed and developed in parallel with the Continental GT coupé at Bentley's design studios and engineering facilities in Crewe to ensure ultimate synergy in their visual appearance and in their on-going engineering and development programmes.
  • The new Bentley Continental Flying Spur will begin its global roll-out from April 2005.

"The Continental Flying Spur is a brilliant example of how to match world-beating technologies with renowned craftsmanship," says Bentley chairman Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen. "It is a performance car but not at the cost of comfort and as such represents a unique proposition - a sumptuous and spacious four-door Grand Tourer with the heart and soul of a high-performance coupé."

 

Source: Bentley 

 

[Oh, and just in case you are one of the lucky ones able to afford such a car, Bentley -- in a separate press release -- have today confirmed that UK prices for the Flying Spur will start at £115,000, which is currently the equivalent of US $220,000.]