2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Preview

"We were very conscious that the Continental Flying Spur had to make a sporting statement when people first saw it - after all it

The sedan will benefit from the coupe's superb road-manners, as well as its effortless acceleration to 100 km/h in a mere 5 seconds, something I've experienced personally. (Photo: John Crawford, Bentley Motors)

is a Bentley," says van Braeckel. "That's actually more challenging with a four-door than a coupé, which will always look 'fast', so we spent a long time working on an appearance of potency while still retaining the presence and stature that customers expect from our cars."

The sedan will benefit from the coupe's superb road-manners too, as well as its effortless acceleration to 100 km/h in a mere 5 seconds and near 200 mph top speed. Bentley doesn't go so far to say the Flying Spur will achieve the coupe's 198 mpg top-speed, although the company safely estimates a terminal velocity of more than 190 mph, which will make it one of the fastest four-doors on the planet and definitely the fastest to ever wear a Bentley badge on its imposing grille.

While I never had opportunity to climb anywhere near the coupe's 198 mph top

The twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 makes a substantial 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque at an extremely low 1,600 rpm, and 552-hp at 4,500 rpm. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

speed, I did take advantage of charging from standstill to slightly higher than posted speeds during a test drive last fall. The twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 makes a substantial 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque at an extremely low 1,600 rpm, 4,500 fewer revs than needed to extract all of its 552 horsepower. And the engine sounds sensational too, more sporting than the traditional blower Bentley 6.1-litre V8. Where the old V8 makes more torque and less power, the new W12 feels more energetic when the revs build, surging forward with a newfound enthusiasm that I've never felt in a Bentley before.