By: IOL Motoring Staff
Crewe, Cheshire - Don't kid yourself, Bentley's new Flying Spur W12 S flagship has the performance chops to go with its dark, slightly menacing persona.
Along with distinctive dark styling cues such as a gloss black grille and window and light surrounds and rear bumper, as well as a new diffuser and optional carbon-fibre veneer, it's also the first four-door Bentley with a top speed of more than 320km/h.
Bentley's long-serving twin-turbo, six-litre W12 has been upgraded from 460 to 467kW, and from 800 to 820Nm - all of which is on tap from just 200rpm, taking the new Flying Spur S from 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds and on to 325km/h at full stretch, driving via the standard Bentley all-wheel drive with a 40:60 rear-biased torque split.
But power is nothing without control, so the S has revised, more responsive suspension mapping with special damper and stability control calibration, while retaining most of its refined luxury characteristics when driven in a more restrained fashion. Optional carbon ceramic brakes are available with red or black callipers, behind 21 inch rims in a choice of two designs.
Diamond-quilted leather trim
Inside, the fascia and waistrails feature an unusual black engine-turned finish (a satin carbon-fibre finish is an option), while the diamond-quilted leather trim is accented with special contrast stitching and insets. Knurled gearshift paddles, an option on lesser Flying Spurs, are standard on the S. There's a W12S emblem on each head restraint in either blind or contrast stitching, and another embossed on each treadplate.
In addition to the onboard technology common to all Flying Spur models, the S also has a WiFi hotspot and a touchscreen remote that rises from the veneered rear centre console at the touch of a button to allow control of the car's climate and infotainment systems from the rear seat.
First customer deliveries of the Flying Spur W12 S are scheduled for the final weeks of 2016.
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