2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Preview

But being a driver's car first, Flying Spur buyers will appreciate the car's tenacious grip over all road surfaces, no matter

Flying Spur buyers will appreciate the car's tenacious grip over all road surfaces, no matter the weather conditions. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

the weather conditions. Wet weather was something we faced during the Continental GT debut. It wasn't the torrential downpours recently experienced in California or even more recently in Vancouver, nor the ice storms of the East Coast or Mid-West, but just the same the roadways didn't offer maximum adhesion for the duration of my test drive and therefore I was able to put the car's permanent all-wheel drive system to the test.

While rear-wheel power slides are definitely out of the question, the system is biased to the rubber in back giving it the sensation of oversteer without the tail-wagging challenges that such actions might deliver. Overall, it was unflappable in rain or dry, and I imagine that together with its traction and

The Flying Spur, with its all-wheel drive setup, plus traction and stability control, is unflappable over the majority of road surfaces. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

stability control it would be controllable through snow and ice too - or at least as much as any car can be. That same traction should transfer over to the Continental Flying Spur, which also comes standard with all-wheel drive.

"Over the course of its development the car was subjected to a rigorous drive program that saw it complete nearly a million miles on proving grounds, test tracks and roads across the world," reveals Dr Ulrich Eichhorn, member of the board, engineering. "The result is a car whose breadth and capability, in any weather, on any road surface, is simply awesome."