2014 Bentley Flying Spur revealed

After releasing few teaser images and a video in the past few weeks, Bentley seemed to have had enough and couldn't wait any longer for the world wide web to start talking about the fastest and most powerful four-door Bentley ever - the 2014 Bentley Flying Spur. 

The Flying Spur, which had always been the most successful model of all-time for the Crewe-based automaker ever since it was introduced in 2005 was long overdue for a change and this 'change' is slated to make its world premiere at the upcoming 2013 Geneva Motor Show in March. The 2014 Flying Spur will join the Mulsanne in the company line-up of four-door offerings. 

The most dramatic change in the new model is the shape of the aluminium and steel coachwork, which is far more sporting and dynamic even though the new car is only marginally longer and actually higher than its predecessor. "It's been something of a tortuous process," says Christian Marshfield, senior exterior designer. "That GT icon was hard to shift in our minds. But eventually we realised we did have the potential to push the boundaries and were inspired to design a car in its own right, which is why the Continental name has been dropped."

The structural reinforcements have also improved crash safety and increase in torsional stiffness by 4 per cent, contributing to lower NVH. The super formed aluminum hood and front fenders has also helped in reducing pedestrian injury as well as height. 

Bentley has retuned the Flying Spur's computer-controlled air suspension for greater comfort and better handling. Ride height is lowered an additional 8mm front and 13mm rear at 149 mph. On the new Flying Spur, front and rear spring rates are softened 10 percent and 13 percent, respectively, to improve normal ride comfort, while their rates of stiffness during hard driving has been increased to improve handling.

On the inside, the interior combines top-range leathers, woods and polished metals with the latest in driver technology and in-car connectivity without looking either too old-fashioned or too high-tech. Each car requires almost 10 square meters of sustainably sourced natural wood, takes 72 hours to cure and is clear-lacquered and polished by hand.

The car has a built-in wi-fi hotspot, dedicated 10-inch TV screens for both rear passengers and a touch-screen remote control so that those seated behind can access the car's infotainment system and climate control settings. The car also features a 1100W Naim premium sound system.

Whereas, the out-going Flying Spur was largely based on the Continental GT Coupe, the 2014 model is understood to be rating power figures, which are nearly identical to the more powerful Continental GT Speed. 

Under the hood is a twin-turbo, 6.0-litre W12 engine, which churns out 625 PS of max power and 800Nm of peak torque. The engine is coupled to a ZF eight-speed transmission with paddle shifters, which direct power to all four wheels. 

A new Bosch engine management system improves torque management, turbocharger control, drivability, and emissions control, as well as low-speed responsiveness. Bentley claims the additional power and reduced weight contribute to a 14 percent improvement in the power-to-weight ratio, which allows the model to sprint from 0 to 100 kmph in 4.3 seconds with a top speed of 322 kmph. 

Customers wishing to work on the move may order the Flying Spur with the new Multi-Media Specification. Central to this is the Bentley Connectivity Unit (BCU), which allows portable devices, laptops and tablet computers to connect to the internet through the wi-fi hotspot and includes 64 GB of internal storage capacity. Picnic tables integrated into the backs of the front seats also give passengers somewhere to rest their notebooks or tablets. The system also features two hidden top-loading multimedia players that can play CDs and DVDs, SD cards, USB drives or content from an iPod, iPhone or iPad. Backseat passengers also have dedicated USB charging points and Bluetooth connectivity.

The new Flying Spur has also been optimized to improve response and reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by at least 13 percent. Bentley claims the new transmission can deliver imperceptible shifts in fewer than 200 milliseconds. Bentley claims the new Flying Spur is 55 Kg lighter than the previous model, while the sleek body has a drag coefficient of just 0.29.

The 2014 Bentley Flying Spur will go on sale this year in the International markets. Stay tuned to OnCars, as we bring you all the latest news and information about the upcoming 2013 Geneva Motor Show.