Bentley Flying Spur Speed Is a 207-mph Love Letter to the W12

This brute weighs as much as a moon but will do a claimed 207 mph.

This brute weighs as much as a moon but will do a claimed 207 mph.Photo: Bentley

Bentley’s twin-turbocharged W12 engine has been integral to its brand since it relaunched itself with the Continental GT coupe in 2003. Its combination of packaging, effortless torque and huge power potential made what was ultimately an unconventional engine a real standout, and soon it will be going the way of the dodo bird. To celebrate the mighty W12, Bentley announced its Flying Spur Speed on Tuesday, aka the only way you can now get 12 cylinders in your Flying Spur.

The Flying Spur Speed won’t be the last Bentley model with the W12, but it will be one of the last. To that end, Bentley once again upped the output for the big 6.0-liter behemoth by another 84 hp and 96 lb-ft of torque over the already perfectly potent V8-powered Flying Spur S. This gives the Speed a frankly stupid (in a good way) claimed top speed of 207 mph and a 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds. All that jam gets routed through a retuned eight-speed ZF gearbox.

Black and orange right-hand drive Bentley interior.

The interior finishes are unique to the Speed and are, as expected, pretty freakin’ nice.Photo: Bentley

But, of course, the speed part of “Speed” involves more than just brute force. There are also goodies like rear-wheel steering and torque-biasing all-wheel drive to help straighten out corners and keep this big beast on the road — ditto for the 48-volt electronically adaptive suspension system, aka Bentley Dynamic Ride System.

Outside of the added performance, the Flying Spur Speed gets some unique touches to let everyone else know that you’re the fastest person in the parking lot. This includes unique 22-inch wheels, darker tint to the grilles, black chrome badging and a special interior colorway. The infotainment system also gets a new old-timey luxury chronograph-inspired screen design because that’s how Bentley does things.

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Eco-friendly, comfort-friendly
Their multi-occasion styles take you from the office, to dinner, to neighborhood errands, with a sugarcane-based foam bottom and slick recycled leather upper.

We asked Bentley for more information on cost and availability but didn’t hear back in time for publication.