Those in the game for a sedan with good levels of performance and luxury would do well to stop by their local Bentley Mulsanne dealership, and have a look at the Flying Spur. Though not available in Speed trim like the previous four-door Continental,
the W12 model already packs the 616-horsepower 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 from the Bentley Continental GT Speed – and we wouldn't be surprised to see the British automaker come out with an even more performance-oriented version in the future. But what about the Mulsanne?
Bentley's flagship model has typically been left out of the performance equation applied to its nouveau-riche stablemates, but that ends here and now with the introduction of the new Bentley Mulsanne Speed. With 530 horsepower on tap (25 more than the standard model), the new Mulsanne Speed ranks among the more (if not most) powerful sedans on the market. But it blows everything else out of the water when it comes to torque: Bentley's signature 6.75-liter twin-turbo V8 has been augmented to produce a freight train-rivaling 811 pound-feet of twist, available from as low as 1,750 rpm. As far as torque goes, that makes the Mulsanne Speed out ahead of every so-called muscle car on the market and eclipses most million-dollar hypercars. It's also around triple the output of the same engine when it was introduced way back in 1959, and could be enough to put the prospect of the Bugatti Galibier ever reaching production out of the question once and for all.
Every pound-foot of that Bentley Mulsanne muscle is required to move the big sedan to 60 in 4.8 seconds, en route to a top speed of 190 miles per hour (compared to 5.1 seconds and 184 mph in the existing Mulsanne). All the while, improvements to combustion and a cylinder deactivation system that turns the engine into an efficient-ish V4 when cruising, though that likely won't be a worry for the oil barons who are bound to make up the bulk of the order list.
While it was at it, the crew in Crewe also recalibrated the eight-speed automatic transmission (which now includes an S mode to keep the revs above 2,000 and the turbos spooled up) as well as the adjustable air suspension. It's also given the big sedan dark-tinted grilles and lights, directional 21-inch wheels and a two-tone interior (which takes some 150 hours and 14 bull hides to complete) with the Mulliner Driving Specification fitted as standard. There's plenty more to digest in the press release below (including some enhancements for the standard model as well) ahead of the Mulsanne Speed's start at the Paris Motor Show next month and the commencement of deliveries this winter.
Check also: Lamborghini V12 engine.
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