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2024 Bentley Flying Spur and Continental GT upgraded with small luxuries

Incremental changes to three of Bentley's 2024 offerings are claimed to bring "harmony" to the Azure, S, and Speed trims across the model lineups. As a refresher, Azure signals the variants that go beyond Bentley's traditional obsessive luxury to cater to wellbeing and comfort. The S and Speed are all about performance. Starting with the 2024 Continental GT and 2024 GTC Azure, the duo look to the Bentayga Extended Wheelbase Azure for a front fascia revision. These include wearing a new "vertical vane grille" that places "bright chrome vertical vanes in front of a black mesh grille." Those are Bentley's words describing what are effectively two grilles. Only one can be seen from afar, though. Down below, the Flying Spur Azure donates its wheel design, the 22-inch, 10-spoke black painted and machined hoop becoming the standard fit for both Continentals. Inside, the 2+2 models upgrade to a new lofted quilting pattern for the leather, and even more sybaritic deep-pile, 100% wool, Wilton overmat carpets. On the Speed side, their grille changes from vertical vanes to a matrix mesh harking back to pre-war models like the Bentley Blower. Exterior jewelry such as the grille surrounds and inserts, and the brightwork along the lower doors, can be optioned in Granite Grey. This will make the Blackline package look even meaner. And opening the doors reveals a new diamond-in-diamond stitch pattern for the cabin leather.  For the all Bentleys, the new exterior color Topaz Blue joins a palette that is already effectively infinite. Inside, the dark tint aluminum technical finish first seen on the Bentayga comes to the instrument panel and waistrails of the Flying Spur and Continental GT, the finish being an abstract representation of the crosshatched lines from the matrix grille. Finally, the nylon carpeting underneath the floor mats will be made from 100% recycled nylon instead of virgin nylon.

Meet the all-new, third-generation Bentley Flying Spur

The all-new, third-generation Bentley Flying Spur rolls into our lives behind a retracting, illuminated Flying B hood ornament. The grand tourer sedan sibling to the Continental GT also brings a new platform with a longer wheelbase, a new design, more technology, and fluted leather and wood finery. About the only thing that doesn't change is horsepower, with the 6.0-liter W12 putting out the same 626 horsepower as the top-level Flying Spur W 12 S trim of the second-generation sedan. Torque, however, makes a substantial jump from 605 to 664 pound-feet. The same MSB architecture that serves the Continental GT and the Porsche Panamera has been called up for duty. A wheelbase stretched by 5.1 inches over the previous Flying Spur delivers handling benefits and attends especially to the comfort of rear-seat passengers. Superformed aluminum panels create sharper, smoother lines everywhere, starting with the sedan's face. A much wider grille re-establishes proportions up front, as well as a corporate look that goes its own way from the Continental. Vertical vanes in the grille channel the 1957 Bentley S1 Continental Flying Spur, and sit just ahead of a gloss black matrix mesh. The lower grille comes in gloss black matrix as well, but can be specced in bright chrome. The LED matrix headlamps have been fitted with chrome sleeves in order to glimmer even when the lights are off. A prominent crease emphasizes the shoulders and haunches. Beneath that, the front fender vents adopt a larger and more obvious "B" shape, the lower doors accented by a chrome strip running between the wheel arches. Those arches will be filled with either the standard 21-inch wheels, or two new 22-inch wheels on sedans optioned with Mulliner Specification. In back, wrap-around taillights take on the illuminated "B" graphic, and the license plate holder moves to the lower bumper, leaving only the Bentley wings and the word "Bentley" to adorn the decklid. The interior overhaul befits Bentley's move into its second century. A high-definition digital instrument binnacle sits behind the new steering wheel. A 12.3-inch screen on the instrument panel handles infotainment needs and performs several tricks, one of which is a proximity sensor that primes the system for commands as a hand draws near. Another trick is that the screen is set into a three-sided, rotating shape. A press of a button flips the screen to reveal a panel with three analogue gauges - temperature, compass and chronometer.

Average Bugatti owner has 84 cars, 3 jets, 1 yacht

Between Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti, the Volkswagen Group has no lack of prestige marques under its umbrella. And while some of these marques may produce models that compete against each other, each seems to be profitable enough in its own right to justify its existence. But what about Bentley and Bugatti? Surely these marques cater to the same customers, right?
Not according to their shared CEO. "The clientele between Bentley and Bugatti is remarkably different," said Wolfgang Dürheimer in an interview with Bloomberg. "The Bentley customer on average owns 8 cars. The average Bugatti customer has about 84 cars, 3 jets and 1 yacht."
That may be a slight exaggeration (we'd have expected three yachts and one jet), but it puts things into perspective: Bentleys are for the one percent. Bugattis are for the one percent of that one percent. Which only goes to show why it's taken Bugatti over eight years to sell 450 Veyrons - a number of units it would take Bentley about two weeks to move, albeit at about one tenth the price.