To make the already exclusive Continental Flying spur even more exquisite, Bentley announced the special ‘Series 51’ edition. As one of the best-selling ultra-luxury saloons in the world, the Flying Spur is almost perfect in terms of style and luxury, so the Series 51 treatment is extra garnish really. But Bentley customers like a lot of garnish in their possession!
As one of the main highlights of the Series 51 we can mention the new range of colors, which encompasses cool and crisp hues through to rich and fiery shades and everything in between with the Bentley colour and trim team recommending one of the three selected interior colours to match whatever exterior finish you go for.
Bentley has also created a unique Series 51 graphite-finished nine-spoke, 19-inch sports alloy wheel, while twin Series 51 wing badges, positioned behind the front wheel arches, complete the bespoke look. Other nice touches include distinctive blue brake callipers and front wing vents styled by Bentley’s head of exterior design, Raul Pires, featuring black or chrome mesh finish.
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, Like that they put in the 2011 GT model, which seamlessly integrated into their handcrafted cabins.
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.
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.
Whilst the 14 options for the Series 51 Flying Spur provide customers with the opportunity to select some of Bentley’s most eye-catching design work, the colour and trim team is also more than happy to create even more bespoke designs, knowing they have only shown a fraction of the possibilities.
All 2012 model year Bentley Continental Flying Spur and Supersports coupe and convertible models are now equipped with a new, highly-advanced touchscreen infotainment system that provides rich map imagery and a 30GB on-board hard drive.
An 8-inch screen displays the car’s audio system, telephone, ride and comfort settings as well as the very latest navigation system, which uses both an in-car hard-disc drive and a DVD player to access route data. It also utilises dynamic navigation to avoid heavy traffic spots, locates destinations using geo-tagged photos from an SD memory card and is Google Maps-compatible for most markets.
The new infotainment system is complemented by a new driver information panel (DIP) located in the main instrument cluster. The new wide-screen DIP employs TFT technology and enhanced graphics provide the driver with clear and easily accessible information about a wide range of car systems. These include the setting of head lamp ‘coming home’ controls, door locking and mirror functions while providing significantly improved control of such features as phone pairing and bluetooth media connectivity.
The new 2012 model year Continental Flying Spur, Flying Spur Speed and their Series 51 design options, together with the 2012 Supersports coupe and convertible models go on sale from March 2011.
