Bentley Continental more Speed for Spur

Bentley has added a more powerful Speed model to its Continental Flying Spur range and beefed up the power of its audio system.

The 12-cylinder Speed is the British company's most powerful four-door model yet.

With 447kW of power, it has the same potent performance as its stablemate, the Continental GT Speed, hurtling from standstill to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds and hitting a top speed of 322km/h.

It also features a lowered ride height, uprated and redesigned suspension, retuned steering and comes with bespoke Pirelli P-Zero UHP performance tyres.

Outside, the Speed is differentiated by a dark-tinted radiator and air intake grilles and wider rifled exhaust tail pipes and 20inch multi-spoke alloy wheels.

The new Bentley Continental Flying Spur also puts more power into its sound system with an optional 1100-watt Naim amplifier, the most powerful in a production car.

British hi-fi firm Naim has designed a sound system with 15 custom-built speakers, dual sub-woofers and a next-generation Digital Signal Processor.

So occupants can enjoy the music, rather than listen to road, wind and tyre noise, a range of noise-absorbent materials has been added.

They include acoustic glazing, tri-laminate body undertrays and wheelarch liners.

Subtle exterior styling changes for the Flying Spur include a more upright grille and bolder lower air and a more aggressive rear bumper, with three new exterior colours and four duo-tone paint combinations.

Inside, there is a greater choice of crafted wood marquetry and chrome inlays, seat piping and two new hide colours.

The new Flying Spur may now be optioned up with a follow-to-stop, radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control which monitors traffic ahead and manages the throttle and brakes to maintain a pre-set time gap, up to a driver-selected set speed.

The aluminium-intensive suspension of the Flying Spur features revised spring and dampers and bespoke 19-inch Pirelli UHP tyres.

All Flying Spur models come with the largest brakes of any production passenger car on sale today, with 405mm x 36mm ventilated front discs and 335mm x 22mm rears.

Under normal driving conditions the brake discs will last the lifetime of the car.

Bentley Continental Flying Spur

ENGINE: aluminium alloy, twin-turbocharged, 5998cc, DOHC, 4-valve, 12-cylinder

POWER: 412kW @ 6100rpm; 449kW @ 6000rpm (Speed)

TORQUE: 650Nm @1600rpm; 750Nm @ 1750rpm (Speed)

TRANSMISSION: ZF 6-speed automatic, continuous all-wheel drive

SUSPENSION: multi-link, computer-controlled self-levelling air suspension, anti-roll bars

BRAKES: Front - 405mm ventilated discs (optional 420mm carbon/silicon carbide, cross-drilled discs); Rear - 335mm ventilated discs (optional 356mm carbon/silicon carbide, cross-drilled discs), ABS, electronic stability

DIMENSIONS (mm): 5290 (l), 2118 (w), 3065 (wheelbase)

WEIGHT: 2475kg

WHEELS/TYRES: Flying Spur: 9J 19-inch Alloy (optional 9J 20-inch alloy) 275/40x19 bespoke Pirelli P Zero (optional 275/35x20); Speed: 9.5J X 20 Alloy, 275/35 x 20 Pirelli P-Zero

FUEL: PULP, 90 litre tank

ECONOMY: 16.6litres/100km (combined)

CO2 EMISSIONS: 396g/km