This Is The Next Bentley To Lose The W12

Bentley has shared new details regarding the powerful engine that will power the new Flying Spur Hybrid. The Crewe-based brand will use the Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain, which was first introduced in the new Continental GT Speed.

The 4.0-liter V8 uses twin turbos and hybrid technology to deliver a supercar-rivaling 771 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque. Not only is the V8 more powerful than the outgoing W12, but thanks to plug-in hybrid technology, Bentley says it has an all-electric range of “at least 45 miles” while the combined range is more than 500 miles. This has most likely been calculated using the WLTP cycle, so expect EPA estimates to be more conservative.

The Most Powerful Bentley Four-Door Ever

Fitted with the electrified V8, Bentley says the Flying Spur will be “the most powerful, most dynamic, and most efficient four-door car” in the company’s history. The existing Flying Spur Speed is already a powerful motorcar, with 626 hp enabling it to hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds before reaching its top speed of 207 mph.

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Those are seriously impressive numbers, made all the more remarkable by the fact that the Flying Spur Speed is a heavy, leather-lined luxury sedan. But if the Continental GT Speed is anything to go by, the next-generation Flying Spur Speed will be one rapid machine. Its two-door sibling can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds before running out of steam at 208 mph. We expect the sedan to achieve similar performance figures.

Stronger And More Efficient Than The Outgoing W12

Bentley says the new V8 PHEV produces 19% more power and 11% more torque than the W12. The electrified motor has been paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and an e-LSD. There’s a possibility that some things may be different for the Flying Spur Speed, but that’s unlikely. We’ll know once Bentley reveals more details in the coming months.

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The current Flying Spur and Bentayga are already available with a plug-in hybrid powerplant. While efficient, it’s nowhere near as powerful as the new V8. It pairs a 2.9-liter V6 with an electric motor for respectable outputs of 536 hp and 553 lb-ft. It will be interesting to see if Bentley retains this motor for the standard Flying Spur models, with the V8 limited to the Speed derivative. We expect the new Flying Spur to borrow design cues and interior revisions from the Continental GT, but we’ll wait for the automaker to confirm this.

“The new powertrain follows Bentley’s long-standing tradition of supplementing class-leading combustion engines with technology to increase performance. Supercharging in the 1920s was the early forebear to the use of turbocharging from the 1980s to present day. Bentley now goes one step further – bringing even more performance through ‘electrocharging’ – using a potent hybrid system to create the most technologically advanced and most powerful powertrain in Bentley’s long history.”

– Bentley