A Quick Look Into The Oval Tailpipe

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

Bitter moment for Walter Owen Bentley: The global economic crisis at the beginning of the 30s had so affected the English car manufacturer that arch-rival Rolls Royce finally took over the company. Today the brand belongs to VW.

By Axel F. Busse

The current crisis should not pose a threat, because Bentley is now one of the pearls in the VW Group's brand portfolio. One of the reasons for this is that Bentley has also won customers outside of the nobility with its sophisticated model policy. While other manufacturers sought their salvation in increasingly larger and more expensive vehicles, Bentley went the opposite way. In the past, the inclined prospect had to make a half a million, today he can get a very acceptable vehicle with a winged "B" for 200,000 euros. In the past, cars were either paid for in cash or inherited, today they are not infrequently financed.

The special customer

According to Bentley market research, the average customer has two to four million euros on the high edge and three or four cars in the garage. Although he could also buy a Mercedes S 65 AMG in the price group above 200,000 euros, a Bentley is something else. Even the name: Continental Flying Spur Speed. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, a total of 434 examples of the vehicles in the Continental series were newly registered in 2008, including coupe and convertible. Compared to that, an S-Class and its more than 8000 units is a real mass-produced item.

322 km / h at the top

As the six-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, Bentley has an obligation to set the tone not only in terms of comfort, but also in terms of driving performance. The 5.30 meter long Flying Spur Speed does this by advancing into speed regions that are otherwise reserved for Ferraris, Lamborghinis and a few other exotic cars. 322 km / h or 200 miles an hour is the official announcement of the manufacturer. It has to be a special form of entertainment when some challenger of German, Italian or American origin is pushing in the left lane and the 2.5-ton ship shows the rebellious two-seater the oval tailpipe.

Six liter monster

Saying the name of the car takes longer than accelerating from 80 to 120 km / h. The performance explosion is accompanied by a hearty combustion and exhaust noise that acoustically recites the brand's racing tradition. The engine of this monster has a displacement of six liters, emits almost 400 grams of CO2 every kilometer and can only be moved with less than 16 liters per 100 kilometers with extreme restraint. Bentley Chief Development Officer Dr. Ulrich Einhorn: “We are committed to consistently reducing emissions by using biofuels. We are not currently pursuing any specific plans to use diesel engines."

Between tradition and modernity

As is customary with the brand, the interior design of the Flying Spur can be individually changed and decorated in every conceivable way, but the standard design is also appealing thanks to its balanced relationship between current and traditional comfort. The latter include the large round ventilation openings and the chrome-plated pull buttons for ease of use.