Spy photographers have snapped a
mysterious Bentley Flying Spur undergoing testing. While the model doesn’t look
terribly special at first glance, it features a charging port on the driver’s
side rear fender. The gas cap is located on the passenger
side near the C-pillar.
This means we’re looking at a plug-in
hybrid variant, but that’s not the only thing interesting about this prototype.
As you can see, the model features a four-tailpipe exhaust system instead of
the dual exhaust used on models with the twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12 that develops
626 hp and 900 Nm of torque.
While there’s speculation is the Flying
Spur Speed, we’re not entirely convinced by the argument that the quad exhaust
indicates this is the Speed. Four tailpipe exhaust systems are used on the
current Continental GT V8 as well as the previous Flying Spur V8 and V8 S. It’s
also worth mentioning that the Bentayga Speed, Mulsanne Speed and Continental
GT Speed all had dual exhaust systems.
Whatever the case, we’re looking at a
plug-in hybrid and it’s a tad different than previous PHEV prototypes that
featured a dual exhaust system. That could suggest this is a
performance-oriented plug-in hybrid, but nothing is official as of yet.
A lot of questions remain, but upcoming
model is expected to share its powertrain(s) with the Porsche Panamera. If this
is just a regular plug-in hybrid, it might feature a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6
engine and an electric motor that gives it a combined output of around 456 hp and 700 Nm of torque.
Of course, if this is the Flying Spur
Speed it could use the same powertrain as the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. That
model has a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 and an electric motor that work together to
produce 671 hp and 850 Nm of torque.
