Fly Whips

December 1, 2008

Bentley’s Flying Spur Gets the “Speed” Treatment

In 1923 Bentley Motors founder W.O. Bentley coined the “Speed” moniker in response to his customers’ emphatic requests for a more menacing version of the automaker’s 3 Litre model. The 3 Litre Speed lived up to its name and promptly defined Bentley as a premier manufacturer of high-performance motorcars. Flash ahead 85 years: The Speed name is back at Bentley, and on the winged heels of last year’s sensational Continental GT Speed coupe comes the Continental Flying Spur Speed sedan. The four-door Speed enjoys the same mechanical and aesthetic upgrades as its two-door sibling, including more power (with no sacrifice in fuel economy) and a superabundance of paint, leather, and trim choices. As in the Continental GT Speed, the 6-liter twin-turbocharged W-12 engine boasts lighter pistons and connecting rods and a new crankcase designed to minimize energy loss due to friction, bumping horsepower from an already impressive 552 to 602. Delivering its colossal oomph to all four wheels through a responsive 6-speed automatic transmission, the reinvigorated engine enables a 4.5-second voyage to 60 mph and a 200-mph top speed. Bentley stylists and engineers were laudably reserved in defining the look of the Flying Spur Speed, lowering ride height by 10 millimeters, subtly reshaping the front fascia, and adding sharp new 20-inch wheels shod with bespoke Pirelli tires. All told, the Speed specification adds a less-than-modest $24,400 to the Flying Spur’s $174,100 sticker price. Notable options include Bentley’s gargantuan carbon-ceramic disc brakes ($16,500) and a truly astonishing 15-speaker, 1100-watt audio system from lofty British hi-fi purveyor Naim ($6,900). The world’s fastest four-door rumbled into Bentley dealerships this fall. (www.bentleymotors.com)

—Matthew Phenix

November 17, 2008

Aston Martin Reveals One-77

Apparently keen to oust the Bugatti Veyron from its lofty perch, Aston Martin is poised to deliver a limited-production supercar that may prove to be the world’s most expensive. Priced at a cool £1 million (about $1.5 million, at current exchange), the car—code-named One-77—will debut next year as the supreme expression of the Aston Martin brand, with a low-slung shape that merges traditional styling cues with the British automaker’s evolving design language. The One-77 (a “working title,” says Aston; expect the production car to carry a more evocative moniker) features a bespoke structure made of stiff, lightweight carbon fiber composite and a handcrafted aluminum body. The car will employ a version of the 6-liter V-12 engine in the DB9/DBS, enlarged to 7 liters and likely rated between 600 and 650 horsepower. Performance, doubtless, will be scintillating: The charge to 60 mph is expected take less than four seconds, and the One-77 will fly to a top speed in excess of 200 mph. No mere car, Aston is calling the One-77 “the world’s most desirable automotive art form.” Production, which is set to commence next year, is fittingly capped at a scant 77 units, with respective buyers expected to be intimately involved in every step of the process. (www.astonmartin.com, www.one-77.com)

—Matthew Phenix

Source – Robbreport.com