2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Preview

Don't get me wrong, the old 6.1 puts down power to the road with more authoritative kick than a 426 Hemi, and with ten

Part of the reason the Continental GT feels so snappy off the line, as will the Flying Spur, is the superb 6-speed automatic transmission. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

times the refinement, but the new W12 is a different kind of monster. It purrs where the V8 rumbles, and howls when the V8 growls. I love them both, but the high revving W12 suits the lighter, sportier coupe better.

No doubt it will feel much the same in the new Flying Spur, and in so doing making it one of the most engaging 4-doors available. Part of the reason the Continental feels so snappy off the line is its superb 6-speed automatic transmission made by ZF, featuring manual mode actuated either via the gear selector or paddle-shifters that lay behind the steering wheel spokes. The transmission is wonderfully

Most surfaces inside are covered in leather (with more than eleven hides used in each car), suede, wood, and solid chunks of billet aluminum or chromed steel. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

smooth, yet delivers positive shifts when pushed.

The shift lever itself is as jewel-like as the rest of the cabin, a hedonistic den of otherworldly creature comforts and, unusually, nominal plastic surfaces. Most surfaces are covered in leather (with more than eleven hides used in each car), suede, wood, metal, and I don't mean metal-like plastic or even a thin metal "veneer", but solid chunks of billet aluminum or chromed steel especially noticeable with the bullseye ventilation outlets and organ stop controls, all finely crafted in a manner normally reserved for expensive handmade furniture, not automobiles.