A REGAL PRESENCE

The behemoth that is Bentley’s new Flying Spur is surprisingly nimble on the narrow roads of Monaco

- ANDRE LAM

Monaco is hardly the ideal place to test the dynamics of the new Bentley Flying Spur, what with its narrow roads and limited space, but it is the perfect place to launch it. The glitzy sovereign city state is not only known for its altruistic monarchy, but its incredible wealth—nearly one third of its residents are millionaires, according to Knight Frank’s The Wealth Report 2019. When the global launch event took place last October, even jaded residents came to have a gander at the fleet of Flying Spurs parked at Casino Square outside the iconic Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo.

The model’s name was taken from the 1957 Bentley S1 Continental Flying Spur, and the first of the modern series continued in 2005 with the name Continental Flying Spur as it rode into the market on the coattails of Bentley’s Continental GT coupe and convertible. By 2013, the British marque decided that from its second generation, the model should stand on its own. Hence, its moniker was shortened to simply “Flying Spur”.

At first brush, the new Flying Spur seems smaller than before, but that is an illusion as the curvaceous styling conceals its size well. The car is longer than its predecessor, although it is just as wide. It appears a smidgen lower, but perhaps the considerably lengthened wheelbase imparts the impression of being low-slung.

The car is based on the latest platform that underpins the Porsche Panamera, which is a much better starting point than that of the previous Flying Spur that came from Volkswagen. With much of the fundamental development already taken care of, Bentley could do what it does best— create luxury.