Vehicle Description
At the turn of the century, Bentley came roaring back in a very big
way, and amazing, ultra-luxury cars like this 2012 Continental
Flying Spur Speed were the reason for the company's renewed success
and popularity. Born from the short-lived VW Phaeton, it's the
ultimate in both performance and luxury. Featuring an unreal 6.0L
W12 Twin Turbo motor, a gorgeous White Sand paint job that cost
more than my house, and a spacious interior that's so luxurious all
of its passengers instantly turn into VIPs. Oh, and it only has
16,590 miles and is listed for a mere fraction of its original
sales price.
2.8 tons of British (well, German to be precise) sedan is going to
get noticed, I don't care who you are. But when it moves like a BMW
M5 and has the coddling luxury of a Lear Jet, well, things get
mighty interesting. If there's a better color for an ultra-luxury
car like this, I don't know what it might be, and the artisans who
painted it were obviously at the top of their game. Sure, it's
almost 10 years old now, but the depth of the finish, the precision
of the bodywork, and the hand-rubbed gloss just can't be faked by
anyone else on Earth, so this car still looks insanely expensive.
Compared to when it left the factory, sure, an expert can tell that
it's been gently used and will find an imperfection here or there,
but with only 16,590 miles on the clock (just 1,600 miles logged
per year) it's probably going to be the best-looking 10-year-old
car that you'll ever see. Unlike the Arnage model before it, it's
not boxy and gigantic, but rather streamlined and sporty. Don't get
me wrong, it's still a massive car, but since Volkswagen AG's
redesign of the 1st Generation Bentley Flying Spur's is based on
the Phaeton, these gorgeous beasts are as much sporty as they are
luxurious. This White Sand sedan will make your neighbor with his
7-Series and his business partner with his Merc-Maybach ask you for
stock picks, because despite those other 'obscenely-rich' luxury
cars all having their merit, there's nothing quite like a Bentley.
The big Bentley grilles up front are easy to recognize, with the
mesh insert that denote the fastest models, and yes, the 'Speed' at
the end of this Continental's name does mean something, but we'll
get to that in just a bit. The chrome is flat-out epic, the lenses
are as clear as the water in Cap d'Antibes, and the glass is so
thick I'd almost wager that it's partly bulletproof.
There still nobody who can do interiors like the British and the
stunning Porpoise leather ('Gray' will not do for a Bentley) cabin
of this Bentley is downright stunning, where it takes at least 11
full hides of leather to trim each interior. Four outboard seats
coddle the passengers with their elegant diamond-quilted hides that
are continued on the doors, the wood is real burled walnut, and
there's nothing that you can touch that doesn't feel insanely
expensive. Black-faced gauges are simple and elegant, much like the
Smiths dials of yore, and the controls are neatly arrayed on the
center stack and steering wheel. The $7K Naim entertainment system
sounds like the London Philharmonic is on board, with an 8-inch
high-resolution touchscreen in the center stack controlling all the
infotainment (including the dual screens in the rear), and previous
Rolls-Royce owners will recognize the array of controls on the
console and the eyeball vents in the dash. It would be ridiculous
to list all the options and amenities of this Bentley, so when you
have a chance pop over to our pics and read the Jane Austen novel
that is this car's window sticker. Everything works, which should
be reassuring to anyone contemplating such a complex vehicle, and
if you're lucky enough to ride in back, you'll find your own A/C
controls, fold-down 'picnic' tables and a sinful amount of legroom.
The trunk is likewise gorgeously finished, and offers access to the
CD/DVD changer that was probably installed by a Julliard-trained
butler.
You'll delight in the way the flex-fuel compliant 6.0-liter,
twin-turbocharged W12 engine seemingly defies the laws of physics.
Nothing this big should be this fast, but with all-wheel-drive and
a quick-witted 6-speed ZF automatic transmission with a floppy-
paddle shift facility, this is a heavyweight that can humiliate
anything this side of a ZR1 Corvette. 600HP, 553 lb-ft of torque,
0-60 in 4.6 seconds, a 6000RPM red-line war cry that catapults it
into triple digits speeds with ease, and insane stopping power from
its massive carbon-ceramic breaks - all for a 2.8-ton sedan. It
hurtles ahead like a cannonball, the power so smooth that you
aren't aware of how fast you're going until you're well into felony
territory, and just then the W-12 finally starts to groan and
practically taunts you to hit the throttle a little harder. Bentley
engineers also managed to endow it with exemplary road manners and
handling that's the equal of its acceleration thanks to a
top-of-the-line suspension (with a total of ten special handling,
steering, and braking systems and programs listed on the window
sticker) and permanent all-wheel drive. And thanks to VW
engineering behind it, it turns out that these are some of the most
reliable supercars ever built. 20-inch multi-spoke wheels carry
equally massive Pirelli performance rubber that plant the power
quite effectively, and my goodness do they look slick.
With exemplary care throughout the years, this well-preserved
2-owner Flying Spur Speed is available for a fraction of its
original sticker price and is one of the last chances to get W-12
power as the V8s soon took over the game. If any ultra-luxury
exotic has ever been considered a screaming bargain, this is it.
Call today!
