Bentley Continental Flying Spur
2005–2013 · Bentley Continental Flying Spur — Luxury Saloon, W12 Twin-Turbo, designed by Dirk van Braeckel.
The Story
Bentley’s masterstroke was obvious in hindsight: take the Continental GT, add two doors, and sell a 195-mph supercar to people with children. The 2005 Continental Flying Spur was, at launch, the fastest and most powerful production saloon in the world — 552 hp of twin-turbo W12 in a car you could be driven to dinner in.
Demand was such that Crewe couldn’t cope: 1,358 cars bound for markets outside the US and UK were assembled at Volkswagen’s glass-walled ‘Transparent Factory’ in Dresden before production came home in 2007. The name, fittingly, revived H.J. Mulliner’s coachbuilt ‘Flying Spur’ four-doors of the 1950s.
The Numbers
Benchmarked against its class
Each dial ranks this car within its Luxury Saloon class — fuller means higher, and the tick marks the class midpoint.
Signature Colors
The Designer
Dirk van Braeckel
Belgian designer; joined Audi in 1984, then chosen by Ferdinand Piëch to head Škoda design (1993, the Octavia/Fabia), then Bentley Director of Design from 1999 — author of the modern Continental GT (2003) and the VW-era Bentley design language.
Studio Motors POV
The original ‘do 195 with the kids asleep in the back’ supersaloon — and now a colossal amount of hand-built Bentley for the money. A Continental GT with doors.
The Engine
Volkswagen Group 6.0 W12 (Twin-Turbo)
Lineage
Where it sits in the bloodline
Market & Value
Values on cars like this move monthly. Our brokers price from real transactions.
What Reviewers Said About Continental Flying Spur
Worth Knowing About the Continental Flying Spur
3 Things You Didn’t Know
- 1. At launch it was the world's fastest and most powerful production saloon — 195 mph.
- 2. Because Crewe was at capacity, 1,358 non-US/UK cars were built at VW's glass-walled 'Transparent Factory' in Dresden until assembly returned to Crewe in 2007.
- 3. The 'Flying Spur' name revived H.J. Mulliner's coachbuilt S-series four-doors of the 1950s.
5 Fast Facts
- 1. 552 hp 6.0 W12, 195 mph, 0-62 in 4.9s.
- 2. The four-door version of the Continental GT.
- 3. 1,358 examples built at the Dresden Transparent Factory (non-US/UK markets).
- 4. Flying Spur Speed (2008): 600 hp, 200 mph.
- 5. Unveiled at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show.
Provenance
Owners & what to look for
Famous Owners
No documented 1st-gen Flying Spur celebrity owner cleanly verified; it was a staple of the chauffeured wealthy and, later, sports and music figures. (Jennifer Lopez is a documented Bentley owner, but her cars on record are a Continental and an Arnage.)
Studio Buyer’s Brief
The Speed for pace, the base W12 for value; same W12, air-suspension and brake watchpoints as the GT. Early Dresden-built cars are mechanically identical — buy on history, not badge-location.
Full Specifications
- Make / Model
- Bentley Continental Flying Spur
- Class
- Luxury Saloon
- Production years
- 2005–2013
- Units built
- Total not disclosed (1,358 gen-1 built at VW Dresden before Crewe, 2007)
- Variants
- Flying Spur Speed (2008)
- Engine layout
- Front
- Engine
- W12 Twin-Turbo
- Engine family
- Volkswagen Group 6.0 W12 (Twin-Turbo)
- Displacement
- 5,998 cc (6.0 L)
- Power
- 600 hp
- Torque
- 553 lb-ft
- 0–60 mph
- 4.5 s
- Top speed
- 200 mph
- Power-to-weight
- 242 hp/tonne · 9.1 lb/hp
- Transmission
- 6-speed ZF automatic
- Drivetrain
- AWD · Petrol
- Curb weight
- 5456 lb
Questions
Continental Flying Spur FAQ
Why was the Continental Flying Spur built at the Dresden factory?
Bentley’s Crewe factory was at full capacity when the Continental Flying Spur entered production in 2005, so 1,358 cars for non-US and non-UK markets were assembled at Volkswagen’s glass-walled Transparent Factory in Dresden before production moved entirely to Crewe in 2007.
Where does the Bentley Flying Spur name come from?
The Flying Spur name originated with coachbuilder H.J. Mulliner, who used it in 1957 for bespoke four-door bodies fitted to the S1 Continental chassis. The name comes from the heraldic winged spur of the Clan Johnstone device — Mulliner managing director Arthur Talbot Johnstone’s family crest, not the Mulliner family’s. Bentley revived the name for the 2005 production sedan.
How fast is the Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed?
The 2008 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed produces 600 horsepower from its twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 and reaches a top speed of 200 mph, making it the fastest four-door production saloon in the world when introduced.
Can you lease a Bentley Continental Flying Spur?
Yes, specialty lenders structure collector-car leases regardless of model year.
What is the difference between the Continental Flying Spur and the Continental GT?
The Continental Flying Spur is the four-door version of the first-generation Continental GT, sharing the same twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 and all-wheel-drive platform on a longer wheelbase, with five-seat capacity in place of the GT’s two-plus-two layout.
The Bentley Lineup
Explore every Bentley
3 Litre ’216½ Litre / Speed Six ’264½ Litre ’27Blower 4½ Litre ’29
R-Type Continental ’52S1 Continental ’55S-Type Saloon (S1/S2/S3) ’55S2/S3 Continental ’59
Mulsanne (1980) ’80Turbo R ’85
Continental R ’91Azure ’95Arnage ’98
Continental GT (1st gen) ’03Continental Flying Spur ’05Azure (2nd gen) ’06Brooklands (Coupé) ’08
Mulsanne (2010) ’10Continental GT (2nd gen) ’11Flying Spur (2nd gen) ’13Bentayga ’15Continental GT (3rd gen) ’18Flying Spur (3rd gen) ’19
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