What do we have here? A new Mercedes-Benz S Class? Not quite folks. You’d be forgiven for thinking these spy shots were for a new Merc but believe it or not (believe it) what you see here before your very eyes is in fact… a Bentley V8 Continental Flying Spur!
You might have already seen images of the pumped up W12 version but this here is the smaller V8 (the two-door Conti GT has already had the V8 treatment) but how can we be sure we hear you cry? Well, the giveaway is the tailpipes. The more potent version uses a pair of quad tips at the back while this eight pot has a set of nifty eight-shaped flattened tips. See, we don’t miss a thing! Apart from that, there isn’t much else to help tell the cars apart yet. We will just have to wait until Bentley ditches the S Class bodywork which means it’s a little pointless trying to describe the looks of the new Flying Spur for now. Don’t be fooled by the front or rear end and especially not those wheels. They all hide the true styling underneath the deceptive body kit. However, the interior will feature the usual hand crafted loveliness and lots of hot new technology such as a eight-inch touchscreen complete with a 30GB hard drive.
We expect the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 as the GT meaning 500bhp, 660Nm of torque and 0-100kph in under five seconds. Since the motor will weigh significantly less than the W12, the V8 Flying Spur ought to feel a lot quicker and more nimble making for a sportier ride. Power will be sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic with steering mounted paddle shifters. The V8 will have a cylinder deactivation system to help improve its fuel economy too, not that Bentley owners worry about such things, but still.
We can’t wait to see the real deal and from what we hear, it’ll boast a similar grille, LED headlights and sharper creases as the Conti GT – and that’s a heck of a gorgeous car. Will this be? Time will tell…
