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Bentley bringing Flying Spur V8, upgraded Continental GT Speed to Geneva

Until the new Falcon sport-ute comes along, Bentley is still a brand that revolves around two model lines: the Mulsanne, which is available essentially in one form, and the Continental family, which is available in many. The Flying B marque has traditionally offered the V8 version in two specifications and the W12 in three, and packaged them into three different bodystyles. With the Geneva Motor Show fast approaching, Bentley is rolling out two more.
First up is the Flying Spur which, despite having dropped the Continental from its name, is still based on the same. Bentley opted to skip the base W12 version when it introduced the new Flying Spur at last year's Geneva show, going straight for the more powerful version that would otherwise wear the Speed moniker. But now it's bringing a V8 version to the Swiss auto expo.
In addition to the W12, the Flying Spur will now be offered with Bentley's 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. For the time being at least, Crewe is offering it in the base, 500-horsepower spec, and not with the more potent 521-hp from the Continental GT V8 S, but we're still looking at a 0-60 time of 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 183 mph. And that's pretty fast for a four-door sedan, no matter which way you cut it. Power is channeled once again to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission, riding on an air suspension. There's a Mulliner Driving Specification package to make it even more derirable, the reduced weight in the nose ought to make it handle better, and with cylinder deactivation, promises to deliver much better fuel economy.

Is Bentley testing a hardcore Continental GT V8?

The Bentley Continental GT V8 is a darn good car. The GT V8 S, even more so. It's only logical, then that an even hotter Conti GT would be commensurately better. At least, we're hoping that's what the minds at Bentley's Crewe, UK headquarters were thinking when they dispatched this bewinged GT V8 to the Nürburgring.
This Conti GT stands out not only because of its wing, but because of its improved aerodynamics as a whole. A new front fascia, complete with a body-color lip spoiler is the big visual takeaway of this car's sportier intensions, while our spies claim this white whale rides on a lowered, firmer suspension.
The real question about this car has to do with its powerplant, though. What's under hood? The GT V8 S returns an impressive 521 horsepower while the base Conti W12 churns out 567 ponies, meaning there isn't a lot of wiggle room between what is currently the priciest V8 model and the cheapest twelve-cylinder car. The 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8, though, is certainly capable of handling more than 521 hp, as Audi uses a 560-hp variant in the RS7. Our spies, meanwhile, suggest that this may merely be an even lighter version of the GT V8 S - maybe like an RS model - that is lighter and stiffer, but no more powerful.

2021 Bentley Flying Spur Speed spied undisguised, may be PHEV

The 2020 Bentley Flying Spur luxury sedan was just revealed a few months ago, but its high-performance Speed variant should be launching very soon. One of our spy photographers caught what appears to be a Flying Spur Speed completely undisguised. It follows the pattern of past Speed models in terms of style, but it may be powered by a hybrid powertrain, which would be a first for the Speed line. When it comes to the design, the Flying Spur Speed is quite subtle. The body is pretty much untouched except for the black mesh grilles. All the chrome trim has been changed over to gloss black as well, just as previous Speed models have done. At the back, the car now features quad exhaust tips that exit through the oval outlets in the bumper. The exterior also leads us to believe this is a hybrid. Looking closely at the back, you can see the factory fuel filler door nestled in the top of the right rear fender. Looking over to the left rear fender, you can just make out yet another small filler door ahead of the taillight. This door doesn't appear on the regular Flying Spur, so we believe it's an electric charger port door. The question is, what hybrid powertrain could it be using? It's likely not using the V6 hybrid from the Bentayga, since we've established that this is a Flying Spur Speed, but Bentley doesn't have any other plug-in hybrid powertrains at the moment. It's possible it could use a version of the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid V8 powertrain, which makes 677 horsepower and 626 pound-feet of torque. That would be more power than the regular Flying Spur's W12, if a bit less torque. And of course Bentley could probably tweak it for a bit more power. Then again, maybe Bentley will adapt some hybrid tech to its W12. Whatever the case may be, this should be a very interesting car. And since this is just a high-performance variant that's clearly pretty far in development, we should see it officially revealed soon. It would make sense for it to be launched for the 2021 model year and shown within a year.