Carbon fibre bodykit on a Bentley Flying Spur? That may sound rather icky in your imagination (mine too), but the reality is not bad at all, especially when fitted on the new Flying Spur – which is significantly more dynamic-looking than its predecessors – with the sporty Blackline spec as seen here.
Called Styling Specification, Bentley says that the new option “allows customers to emphasise the sporting credentials of the world’s fastest production sedan and give the car an even more sporting aesthetic to match its unrivalled performance”.
Crafted by hand in high gloss carbon fibre to exact tolerances, the Styling Specification includes a front bumper splitter, side skirts with metallic Bentley badges, rear diffuser and boot lid spoiler.
Like the cabin’s veneer, the carbon fibre exterior bits are mirror-matched across the centreline of the car. The CF weave is a 2×2 twill pattern, woven in the same direction for all components to ensure consistency. The carbon fibre is laid-up in multiple layers, each oriented for optimum strength and durability whilst maintaining minimal weight.
The side skirts include a nice detail in the three-dimensional electroformed Bentley badge. The profile of the badge was developed specially for the Styling Spec, to minimise the risk of air bubbles forming in the lacquer overcoat while still providing a faceted appearance.
Crewe says that the carbon kit is designed to complement the aerodynamic performance of the Flying Spur, including front/rear lift and overall drag. Simulations have also been made of the effect on powertrain cooling, brake cooling and NVH. There are also minimal effect on vehicle systems from park distance control to radar systems and antennae for on-board communications.
Bentley says that Styling Specification prototypes were refined in the wind tunnel and on the test track. The parts were also assessed across all driving conditions including top speed, for stability, feel and performance under both acceleration and braking.
Durability programmes include overall vehicle tests of 100,000 km, including wading, kerb strikes, and rough roads. There were also lab tests for vibration, thermal cycling, point loading and impacts. The Styling Specification carbon fibre kit is can be specified when a new car is ordered, or retrofitted to existing Flying Spurs – contact your local Bentley dealer for details.
The third-generation Flying Spur is powered by a 6.0 litre twin-turbo W12 engine that’s hand-built in Crewe. Claimed to be the most advanced 12-cylinder engine in the world, it makes 635 PS and 900 Nm of torque (previous-gen W12 S had 626 hp/820 Nm), which propels the 2,437 kg limo to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds. Top speed is 333 km/h. There are plenty of chassis tech at play too, including active AWD, all-wheel steering, torque vectoring and a 48V electric anti-roll bar system. Check out the “super-luxury sports sedan” in full here.
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