Bentley Flying Spur Speed Arrives as the Harbinger of Bad News for W12 Enthusiasts

So, after the Bentley Continental GT Speed and Bentayga Speed, it was only logical for the British ultra-luxury automaker to present us with the official take on the Flying Spur Speed limousine. This will be the “most driving-focused version of the Flying Spur luxury performance sedan family” but it is not all roses and smiles.

But first, the good news. The new Flying Spur Speed now leads the performance range as it has an additional 85 ps (84 hp) and 130 Nm (96 lb-ft) of torque over the S version. With that stable of ponies, the W12 limousine featuring standard goodies like Bentley Dynamic Ride and Electronic All-Wheel Steering will be capable of truly magnificent performance.

No need to take our word for granted, as Bentley advances the proper figures: 60 mph (96 kph) in 3.7 seconds (62 mph/100 kph in 3.8s), and a maximum speed of 207 mph (333 kph). To distinguish it from the lesser version, the Flying Spur Speed comes with a bespoke set of 22-inch Speed wheels (plus a sport option of the same size), a custom front grille dark tint finish, and a unique Speed interior color choice with Dinamica, among others.

Now, the sad part of the story. As it turns out, the Bentayga Flying Speed is quite the same as the Flying Spur W12 in terms of output, capped by the company at 635 ps (626 hp) and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft) of torque! They will not cannibalize each other, though, as Bentley ceased the regular Flying Spur W12 production earlier this year in May.

And, even worse, the British carmaker has also announced as officially as possible that its new “Flying Spur Speed will be one of the last models to feature the iconic W12 engine.”