Bentley Flying Spur History
The four-door Continental (2005–present) — launched as the world's fastest production saloon, now Bentley's standalone luxury limousine.
Photo: “2005 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Automatic 6.0 Front.jpg” by Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
History
Introduced in 2005 as the Continental Flying Spur, it was the four-door sedan derivative of the Continental GT, sharing the W12 and all-wheel drive. At launch it was billed as the world's fastest and most powerful production saloon, reviving a name first used on a 1950s coachbuilt Bentley.
The second generation (2013) dropped the 'Continental' prefix to position the Flying Spur as a more opulent, chauffeur-friendly limousine distinct from the driver's-car GT, and added a V8 alongside the W12. An all-new third generation arrived in 2019 on the latest platform, later adding V8 and plug-in-hybrid powertrains.
Generations
First generation · Continental Flying Spur
Photo: “2005 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Automatic 6.0 Front.jpg” by Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
The W12 four-door Continental, launched as the world's fastest production saloon; sold as the 'Continental Flying Spur.'
2005 Photo: “2005 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Automatic 6.0 Front.jpg” by Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
2006 Photo: “2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur saloon.jpg” by MrWalkr / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
2011 Photo: “2011 Bentley Continental Flying Spur in Cyberjaya, Malaysia (01).jpg” by Aero777 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Second generation · Flying Spur
Dropped the 'Continental' prefix to emphasise luxury over the GT's sportiness; added a V8 alongside the W12.
Third generation
All-new on the MSB platform, sharing styling with the current Continental GT; later offered V8 and plug-in-hybrid versions.
Body styles
- Saloon
Related models
Collect the nameplate
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