Updated Bentley Flying Spur revealed

BENTLEY has unveiled its updated Flying Spur sedan, heralding the return of the S model and styling cues from the British marque’s heritage ahead of its production start in September.

Headlining the Flying Spur’s refreshed aesthetics are its single front headlights on either side – as opposed to two lights either side as seen previously – aligning its front-end design with its Continental stablemate.

Crucially, this marks the first time since 1962 that a Bentley sedan’s front end has featured single headlights, the last model to do so being the S2.

Other styling tweaks include a revised radiator grille – which is now integrated within the front bumper – boot lid, rear lights, body-coloured number plate surrounds and new optional 22-inch wheel finishes for the Azure and S models.

The plug-in hybrid 4.0-litre V8 powertrain remains for the post-update Flying Spur and is available in two different states of tune.

In the standard Flying Spur, Azure, and S models, it produces 500kW/930Nm, propelling Bentley’s luxury sedan from 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds, or 3.7 seconds in the case of the S model.

It also has a claimed electric-only driving range of 80km.

This makes the S model specifically 20 per cent more powerful than any previous Flying Spur S.

For the Flying Spur Speed and Mulliner models, the outputs are bumped to 575kW/1000Nm, allowing for a 0-100km/h time of 3.5 seconds.

The S model has returned for the post-update Flying Spur and comes equipped an electronic limited slip differential as well as Bentley’s Performance Active Chassis which includes active all-wheel drive, torque vectoring front to rear, twin valve dampers, a 48V active anti-roll system, and new ESC software.

It comes in Blackline specification, bringing with it several styling enhancements including “gloss black matrix” grilles, black Bentley wings and lettering, black mirror caps and sill extensions, and dark tint matrix LED headlights, taillights and exhaust pipe finishers.

Other noteworthy changes for the updated Flying Spur include the availability of five distinct seat styles and the Virtuoso collection of vehicles – available with the 21-speaker Naim Mulliner audio system, champagne gold interior and exterior detailing, unique embroidery, and “refined” materials – along with the addition of a new Dark Teal paint colour choice.

Specific Australian arrival times and pricing are yet to be confirmed but according to Bentley, deliveries for the updated Flying Spur are slated for most markets in the fourth quarter of this year.