Continental Mark II
BENTLEY PLANS MORE DISTINCTIVE COUNTERPART TO GT
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| Continental Mark II |
LATEST CAR NEWS, BENTLEY will add more differentiation between its second-gen Flying Spur sedan, launching in 2013, and the new Continental GT unveiled at the Detroit show. The Flying Spur will come in a wider range of trim levels, from cushy limos for the Chinese market to a more aggressively sporting 200-mph variant and a more efficient— but still very fast—V-8.
With Bentley establishing itself in China, the current Flying Spur is enjoying a late-life sales su rge. That market prefers sedans to coupes, and the company sold 700 Flying Spurs there last year, making it Bentley’s biggest Chinese seller.
Chinese tastes give a clue to one version of the second-generation Spur. It will have a softer suspension and quieter exhaust note, to give performance with even greater rear- seat comfort. Engineers are paying more attention to life in the back than they did for the first Spur, because so many buyers have chauffeurs.
In the U.S., two new powertrains will see to that, as well as firmer chassis options. Bentley will offer its new Flying Spur with both the 500-hp, 4.0-liter V-8 with eight-speed automatic, unveiled in the GT coupe, or a new, direct-injection version of the W-12 twin-turbo feeding through a six-speed transmission, with variable- geometry turbos putting out higher boost for more horsepower without losing low-end torque.
With added power, more gears. and slightly lighter weight—though not much below 5500 pounds—the new Flying Spur is likely to improve on the current car’s 4.8-second 0-60-mph time. Bentley needs to get closer to the Rolls-Royce Ghost, which can reach 60 mph in 43 seconds.
Design remains the mystery. We have seen no shots of the disguised car under test. You can count on an interior with every home comfort, and huge personalization choices.
