![Driving the new Bentley Flying Spur Classic & Sports Car – Future classic: Bentley Flying Spur](/sites/default/files/styles/article/public/2023-02/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Future%20classic%20%E2%80%93%20Bentley%20Flying%20Spur%20%E2%80%93%20LEAD.png?itok=jYLsmqjB)
It was the coverline ‘Bentley’s best-ever saloon’ that caught my eye. A coachbuilt 8 Litre? Or the bargain Turbo R? Er, no.
According to Autocar, the model worthy of the title is the petrol/electric hybrid Flying Spur.
We had to find out for ourselves…
![Illuminated ‘B’ in the Bentley Flying Spur’s rear lights Classic & Sports Car – Future classic: Bentley Flying Spur](/sites/default/files/2023-02/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Future%20classic%20%E2%80%93%20Bentley%20Flying%20Spur%20%E2%80%93%2002.png)
Illuminated ‘B’ in the rear lights is a neat touch
First up, a hybrid? Really? But if the very idea is anathema to you, the first shock is that, paradoxically, it’s in full battery mode that the Spur feels most like a Bentley, wafting along silently on a wave of torque and doing a fine impression of the old 6.75-litre V8.
And you really can use it as a pure EV, for up to 20 miles or so at a time, with petrol power only kicking in if you push the throttle nearer to the floor.
When you do, the 134bhp motor is joined by the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 from the Audi RS5, for a 536bhp total.
![The Bentley Flying Spur is powered by a 2894cc twin-turbo V6 plus an electric motor Classic & Sports Car – Future classic: Bentley Flying Spur](/sites/default/files/2023-02/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Future%20classic%20%E2%80%93%20Bentley%20Flying%20Spur%20%E2%80%93%2006.png)
The Audi-sourced twin-turbo V6 is boosted by a hybrid system, good for a 536bhp total