2020 Bentley Flying Spur

New Flying Spur Speed is Bentley’s fastest sedan ever, and it’s coming to SA in 2025

Bentley has unveiled its new Flying Spur sedan, and first out the starting blocks is the aptly named Speed flagship model that sports an all-new hybrid powertrain.

Bentley South Africa says we can expect the new four-door to dock on local shores early in the third quarter of 2025, with pricing to be confirmed in due course. But with the current Flying Spur Speed priced from R6.1 million, it’s going to be one of those situations where if you have to ask… it’s probably out of your reach.

Although Bentley is billing this as an all-new generation, it appears to be an extensive update of the existing model, but what lies beneath the skin is certainly as fresh as a cucumber sandwich on a Buckingham Palace summer’s day.

Replacing the previous 12-cylinder engine is a new “Ultra Performance Hybrid” system that pairs a 441kW 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with a 140kW electric motor that’s integrated into the eight-speed dual clutch gearbox, for system outputs of 575kW and 1,000Nm.

Whisking from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.5 seconds, which is half a second faster than its predecessor managed, the new Flying Spur Speed is Bentley’s quickest four-door ever.

 
Bentley has built another performance V8 hybrid, and it’s got a faintly mad 671bhp

The ‘Ultra High Performance’ hybrid is now joined by a ‘High Performance’ version

Bentley has revealed a new version of its bonkers V8 hybrid powertrain for those that don’t want full-on bonkers, but medium-bonkers. This is the luxury carmaker’s new ‘High Performance Hybrid’, and actually it’s still… bonkers.

Because though it’s down around 100bhp on the ‘Ultra High Performance Hybrid’ version revealed last year – a drivetrain that now occupies Bentley’s top step after the retirement of its W12-engined thunderstorm – it’s still packing 671bhp.

And 686lb ft. Numbers achieved by that brand-new, cross-plane 4.0-litre V8 and an electric motor (hiding in the gearbox). Whichever way you cut it, those are big numbers, now applicable to the delightful new Continental GT, Conti GT Convertible, and Flying Spur. Big enough to render the old, W12-engined monster’s numbers… redundant.

“Though the Ultra Performance Hybrid of the Speed remains the most extreme powertrain in Bentley’s range, it is significant that the new High Performance Hybrid outperforms the previous generation’s W12 Speed powertrain on all power, torque and performance parameters,” said Bentley. Well, quite.


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