NEW DESTINATIONS FOR 2012 BENTLEY CONTINENTAL FLYING SPUR

A range of 14 Continental Flying Spur ‘Series 51’ design options unveiled
Advanced and intuitive touchscreen infotainment technology introduced on all Continental Flying Spur and Supersports models

(Crewe, England. 11 November, 2010) The Continental Flying Spur and its sporting stablemate the 200mph (322km/h) Flying Spur Speed are the most successful four-door Grand Tourers in Bentley’s history and among the best-selling ultra-luxury saloons in the world.

Since its launch, the Flying Spur has achieved extraordinary sales success across the globe in traditional markets like the USA, the Middle East and UK as well as emerging luxury markets such as China and Russia.

The Flying Spur has attracted a new generation of luxury car buyers to the Bentley marque and has played a pivotal role in the company’s revitalisation. The Flying Spur’s blend of craftsmanship, dynamic performance, style and practicality appeals in equal measure to those who demand an exciting driving experience and those seeking refinement and comfort.

Now the luxurious style of the Flying Spur is even more compelling with the introduction of a range of dramatic Series 51 designs, first seen on the Continental GT and GTC. Customers of both the Flying Spur and Flying Spur Speed models may now select from a range of 14 Series 51 designs, recommended by Bentley’s colour and trim experts. In addition, all Continental Flying Spur and Supersports models are now specified as standard with a state-of-the-art, 30GB touchscreen infotainment system, seamlessly integrated into their handcrafted cabins.

Continental Flying Spur Series 51

Series 51represents Bentley design at its most vibrant. It allows customers of both Continental Flying Spur and Flying Spur Speed to order ‘off the peg’ from an innovative and exclusive range of recommended combinations created by Bentley’s colour and trim designers at the company’s headquarters in Crewe, England, as Dirk van Braeckel, Bentley’s director of design comments:

“The Series 51 design concept is inspired by the spirit of the inaugural Bentley styling department in Crewe established by the gifted John Blatchley, who shaped the original and iconic 1950s Bentley Continentals. Today, it provides for a virtually bespoke ordering service due to the thousands of configurations available through Bentley’s expansive colour and trim catalogue.”

First offered on the Continental GT and GTC in 2009, Bentley’s colour and trim team has now created no fewer than14 unique Series 51 designs for the Continental Flying Spur and Flying Spur Speed, enabling customers to tailor their cars to their individual tastes as Melinda June-Jenkins, manager of colour and trim, explains:

“Each Series 51 Flying Spur is instantly recognisable – most notably in the cabin area – where the colour and trim team has created a wide selection of three-tone interiors demonstrating the full potential of the company’s vast colour palette.”

For Series 51 designs, the Bentley styling team operates on a ‘rule of three’ principle to create complex but harmonising colour schemes of depth and beauty, inspired by a customer’s simple choice of three contrasting colours. With luxurious wood veneers and leather hides as the main canvas, the colour and trim specialists begin with a main interior colour (typically a darker shade) and then select a second insert colour to provide an eye-catching contrast. A critical skill is identifying the third ‘accent’ colour for the stitching and piping.

The selection of wood veneers or aluminium panels for the dashboard either complements the overall look or provides even greater contrast if the customer so desires.

Bentley has reserved the limited-edition Sapelli Pomelle veneer (which provides a rare, naturally occurring quilted effect in the wood) for the Series 51 Flying Spur and a range of further options, including Bentley’s leather trimmed child seat and scatter cushions for the rear seats, may also be specified to further complement the exclusive design.