Two years after launching its new Continental GT Coupe, Volkswagen's Bentley Motors division is showing off the four-door version of that product -- the Bentley Continental Flying Spur.
History buffs will appreciate that this creation of the ''fastest four-door'' in the company's history is similar to the creation of the original Flying Spur in 1957, which was also a sedan version of the brand's fastest four-passenger coupe at that time.
Of course, the Continental Flying Spur that will arrive this spring with a pricetag in the $250,000 range is about more than going fast, but any road-going vehicle capable of going beyond 300 kmh -- even a Grand Tourer like this -- is worthy of attention regardless of its other skills. For North American owners, the key performance spec is probably the Flying Spur's ability to get from 0 to 100 kmh in about five seconds.
Company chairman Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen says, ''The Continental Flying Spur combines the exquisite design and peerless craftsmanship for which Bentley is renowned with the dynamics and power of the Continental GT to provide an unparalleled motoring experience that will attract a new breed of discerning customers to the marque.''
Bentleys have always offered a blend of luxury and potent performance, says Paefgen. Indeed, he says ''the ability to undertake long journeys in great comfort has been the hallmark of every Bentley, and never was that better demonstrated than in the iconic
R-Type Continental from 1952 and its four-door descendant, the Continental Flying Spur.''
Like the original Flying Spur, says Paefgen, the new Bentley is ''also purposely positioned as a premium product above a crowded market. When we asked our future customers about their needs, they were very clear -- performance and luxury, style and practicality, inspiration and solidity, excitement and safety. The Continental Flying Spur is our response to their 'no compromise' attitude, and our desire to further the Bentley story.''
When work began on the Continental GT coupe in 1999, Paefgen explains, a simultaneous program was begun for a four-door version that would ''mirror the performance and design qualities of the coupe and also provide unparalleled levels of space and comfort in a way that only a Bentley can.''
Paefgen says ''sumptuous levels of space and comfort are a given in the Continental Flying Spur, so the quality of the overall design and cabin interior is simply without rival, and only another Bentley can match the craftsmanship that has gone into making this elegant and opulent four-door Grand Tourer.''
These clear and simple targets were laid down to Bentley's head of design by Paefgen when the project began, and Dirk van Braeckel says he made sure they were not forgotten as the car's form began to take shape.
''We were very conscious that the Continental Flying Spur had to make a sporting statement when people first saw it,'' says van Braeckel, because ''it is after all a Bentley.'' That's actually more challenging with a four-door than a coupe, he maintains, since a coupe 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.''
A sporting statement was not however the sole target for the car's design, says van Braeckel. Indeed, it also needed to reflect Bentley's evolving modern image, ''retaining the understated but bold feel that its design team believes has carried Bentley forward throughout its history.''
Bentleys have always been ''quite reserved when it comes to design," says van Braeckel, ''and much less ostentatious than rival cars of a similar price. The new Continental Flying Spur embodies that Bentley ethos of understated elegance."
History buffs will appreciate that this creation of the ''fastest four-door'' in the company's history is similar to the creation of the original Flying Spur in 1957, which was also a sedan version of the brand's fastest four-passenger coupe at that time.
Of course, the Continental Flying Spur that will arrive this spring with a pricetag in the $250,000 range is about more than going fast, but any road-going vehicle capable of going beyond 300 kmh -- even a Grand Tourer like this -- is worthy of attention regardless of its other skills. For North American owners, the key performance spec is probably the Flying Spur's ability to get from 0 to 100 kmh in about five seconds.
Company chairman Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen says, ''The Continental Flying Spur combines the exquisite design and peerless craftsmanship for which Bentley is renowned with the dynamics and power of the Continental GT to provide an unparalleled motoring experience that will attract a new breed of discerning customers to the marque.''
Bentleys have always offered a blend of luxury and potent performance, says Paefgen. Indeed, he says ''the ability to undertake long journeys in great comfort has been the hallmark of every Bentley, and never was that better demonstrated than in the iconic
R-Type Continental from 1952 and its four-door descendant, the Continental Flying Spur.''
Like the original Flying Spur, says Paefgen, the new Bentley is ''also purposely positioned as a premium product above a crowded market. When we asked our future customers about their needs, they were very clear -- performance and luxury, style and practicality, inspiration and solidity, excitement and safety. The Continental Flying Spur is our response to their 'no compromise' attitude, and our desire to further the Bentley story.''
When work began on the Continental GT coupe in 1999, Paefgen explains, a simultaneous program was begun for a four-door version that would ''mirror the performance and design qualities of the coupe and also provide unparalleled levels of space and comfort in a way that only a Bentley can.''
Paefgen says ''sumptuous levels of space and comfort are a given in the Continental Flying Spur, so the quality of the overall design and cabin interior is simply without rival, and only another Bentley can match the craftsmanship that has gone into making this elegant and opulent four-door Grand Tourer.''
These clear and simple targets were laid down to Bentley's head of design by Paefgen when the project began, and Dirk van Braeckel says he made sure they were not forgotten as the car's form began to take shape.
''We were very conscious that the Continental Flying Spur had to make a sporting statement when people first saw it,'' says van Braeckel, because ''it is after all a Bentley.'' That's actually more challenging with a four-door than a coupe, he maintains, since a coupe 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.''
A sporting statement was not however the sole target for the car's design, says van Braeckel. Indeed, it also needed to reflect Bentley's evolving modern image, ''retaining the understated but bold feel that its design team believes has carried Bentley forward throughout its history.''
Bentleys have always been ''quite reserved when it comes to design," says van Braeckel, ''and much less ostentatious than rival cars of a similar price. The new Continental Flying Spur embodies that Bentley ethos of understated elegance."