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2020 Bentley Flying Spur spied winter testing in Europe

The current Bentley Continental GT made its debut about a year and a half ago at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The big British coupe was joined about a year later by a drop-top variant, but there's been little word on the four-door model, the Bentley Flying Spur. We saw some spy shots last May of the car testing at the Nurburgring, and today we have a new batch of the Flying Spur doing winter testing in Europe. We don't know when the car might debut, but don't rule out a surprise reveal at next week's Geneva Motor Show. The cars in these photos are nearly uncovered. That said, if you're not paying attention, you may not notice much difference. Bentley has taken the Porsche approach to design, evolving the same basic formula rather than issuing a ground-up redesign. The lighting has all been updated, with larger lenses both front and rear. The smaller secondary headlights have moved further out on the front fenders. The upper and lower grilles, too, are larger, taking up a majority of the front end. The profile is generally unchanged, though some of the lines appear to be a little sharper, giving the Flying Spur a more muscular appearance. Expect the 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 to soldier on. In the Continental, the engine makes 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. The Flying Spur should get a similar output. As on the coupe, expect a V8 and plug-in hybrid variant to follow in the next few years. Related Video:

2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 Second Drive Review | The leathery lap of luxury

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. — I came home from Florida, unpacked, and was treated to a snowstorm the day after my vacation. As I sat in the office, watching the white stuff come down harder and harder, Autoblog Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore started asking questions. “Is the Bentley in the basement?” he asked, referring to the $280,000 Continental GT V8 that I was supposed to drive home that evening. Later, “What kind of tires are on the Bentley?” I wasnÂ’t too nervous yet. It was on all-seasons, and was equipped with all-wheel drive. After more hours of blowing snow, he said to me, “If you want to punt on driving the Bentley until the weatherÂ’s better, thatÂ’s fine.” Punt I did, taking the 2020 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium home that night instead. The next day, after the plows, salt trucks and sunshine had done their thing to the roads, I finally got to scratch the Bentley itch that had been nagging me since I had landed in Detroit. I grabbed the weighty key fob, Autoblog Associate Producer Alex Malburg grabbed a camera and mic, and we headed down to the basement together to film the video you see above. Opening the door to the 2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 greets you with a big white “B” illuminated on the ground from the puddle light, surrounded by a yellow circle. I don't recall seeing another multi-colored puddle light before, but IÂ’ll remember this one. We got in the Bentley, fired it up, and gingerly crept out of the basement garage. Before exiting, I made sure to give the car a few revs, but there wasnÂ’t much to hear from inside the cabin. Despite the lack of volume, the 4.0-liter V8 is potent. With 542 horsepower, itÂ’s just shy of the 552 horses of the original Conti GTÂ’s W12, and it out-torques it at 568 pound-feet. Helping to motivate it is a pair of twin-scroll turbochargers. As Alex and I took the Bentley for a cruise down Woodward Avenue, I got to test its straight-line acceleration at stoplight after stoplight. Despite the BentleyÂ’s 5,000-pound curb weight, itÂ’s brisk, but also smooth. ThereÂ’s no noticeable turbo lag as it motivates itself toward extralegal speeds. Bentley claims itÂ’ll do 0-60 in 3.9 seconds. There was no way IÂ’d get this thing anywhere near its 198-mph top speed. 2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 First Edition View 24 Photos The big V8Â’s sound doesnÂ’t intrude inside. ThereÂ’s no constant drone, and you only really hear it when you get on the gas.

Bentley unveils the Grand Convertible, a droptop Mulsanne Speed

Five years ago, when Bentley was preparing its farewell shindig for the Arnage, reports were that the Arnage's coupe and convertible siblings, the Brooklands and Azure, would get replacements on the Mulsanne platform. Obviously, that hasn't happened, although we were teased with the Mulsanne Vision Concept in 2012. Then, just this summer, we were again teased with rumors of a Brooklands and Azure one-two punch. While it still hasn't happened yet, Bentley's unveiling of the Grand Convertible seems to have put things in gear.
Not 'merely' a roofless Mulsanne, the Grand Convertible appears to be a droptop Mulsanne Speed, powered by a 6.75-liter engine with 530 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque, and fitted with the directional wheels only available on the Mulsanne Speed. Finished outside in Sequin Blue with a "liquid metal" hood and windshield frame and a burl walnut veneer on the tonneau cover - a similar combo used to introduce the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé eight years ago - the cabin is covered in Beluga leather with blue cross-stitching.
Company CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer says Bentley is watching customer reaction to the car, yet the press release says it's been "Developed to signify Bentley's intentions for the future." That sounds like better than even odds we'll be seeing this on the roads. For now, though, you can see it in the high-res gallery above, at the LA Auto Show starting this week, and at Art Basel in Miami after that, and you'll find a bit more info on it in the press release below.