New Bentley Benz The Truth...

Good try, Bentley, but it didn't work. This week's magazine has the world's first pictures of the exciting new Continental Flying Spur - and the mag got them despite desperate attempts by the Crewe manufacturer to disguise the model as a Mercedes!

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Craig Cheetham

14th September 2004

The front end has a fake S-Class grille and headlamp lenses, while the wheels bear Lexus badges. But make no mistake, this is the car we first told the world about more than two years ago.

The shots also show how Bentley has changed the paint line around the rear window, in a bid to hide the company's trademark tall rear doors, while at the rear, the tail-lamps are disguised to mimic those of the S-Class as well.

Viewed in profile, the new Bentley's distinctive shape is immediately evident - but then we knew what it would look like already. Auto Express famously exposed Bentley's future plans in issue 695, back in March 2002, when we got our hands on images of the then unseen Continental GT, along with photographs of a clay styling model of this, the forthcoming saloon version.

And this week's world exclusive pictures show the newcomer will look exactly like that styling study, despite Bentley's original insistence that the model wasn't a guaranteed production reality.

When it does appear, the Continental Flying Spur will feature a similar mesh grille to that of the Continental GT, while the headlamps will also be of a near-identical design to mark the car out as a close relative of the smaller coup΃©. The models will share a platform, and a lot of the running gear will be identical.

Inside, the Continental Flying Spur is likely to echo the look of the GT, with the same dash, but more sumptuous leather seats. For buyers who prefer to drive rather than be driven, a sports trim option will be offered, including firmer suspension and sculpted front chairs.

The newcomer will make its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March next year, before going on sale in the summer. It's expected to cost around ΂£110,000, and will fit into the Bentley range below the Arnage, which will continue for a while longer until the marque's flagship limousine appears in 2007. The Flying Spur will be the first Bentley saloon in 50 years to be designed and built without any input from Rolls-Royce - since the R-Type went out of production in 1955, all subsequent booted Bentleys were based on R-R bodies.

Launch models will use the same 552bhp 6.0-litre W12 engine as the GT, providing a 0-60mph sprint time of around five seconds and a top speed electronically limited to 155mph.

A V8-engined example is set to appear later, although it's not yet clear whether or not this car will use a VW-sourced engine or the classic 6.75-litre unit from the Arnage. There's also talk of a diesel variant, powered by the 5.0-litre V10 TDI motor from VW's Phaeton and Touareg - although Bentley wants to make sure there's sufficient demand for this potentially controversial model before releasing it on to the market.