For far too long, the winged B had had its flight feathers clipped while it languished as little more than a badge of dubious distinction in the nest of a neglectful parent. That all changed with Bentley’s acquisition by Volkswagen in 1998. With a totally clean slate, the all-new Continental GT, which debuted in 2003, featured the first true production W-12 engine in the automotive sector. As fitted to the Continental GT coupe, the immensely potent four-bank, twin-turbocharged 6.0L/552 HP 12-cylinder W-12 reached 60 MPH in under five seconds and topped out just shy of 200 MPH. The winged B had once more taken flight, and just like in the 1950s, when the glorious two-door fastback R-type Continental was the fastest four-seater in the world, so was the new Continental GT. The revival of the Flying Spur name in 2005 evoked the later 1950s model, which had added space, grace and two more doors to transform the Continental into the fastest grand touring sedan of its age. It was a fitting tribute, as the new permanent 4-wheel drive Continental Flying Spur once again ticked that box: a luxury mile-eating, continent shrinking, four-door grand tourer with accommodation for four and luggage space for all the clothes and accessories you’d need for any social occasion. Moreover, with its generous glass area, passengers in the rear could also enjoy the quickly passing landscape. Well-being, driving and riding was enhanced with adaptive suspension, continuous damping control, a 6-speed automatic transmission, dual-zone climate control, heated and cooled leather seats, and the latest navigation systems. With its hallmark handcrafted touches, each Flying Spur took more than 100 hours to build at Bentley’s historic Crewe plant. Of particular note in this Neptune green 2007 example with saddle tan leather interior and carpets is the modest odometer reading of just 6,475 miles. Further testament is that, from 2005 to 2013, the first generation of the new Flying Spur outsold any previous Bentley sedan, yet also remains exclusive with a world-wide sales total of fewer than 20,000. And just as with the original Flying Spur, which had no Rolls-Royce equivalent, the new-era Bentley stands alone and on its own merits.
