Inasmuch as Bentley's new Continental Flying Spur is the four-door version of its enthusiastically received Continental GT-a designation steeped in history, signifying an automobile capable of grand touring throughout continental Europe-its rollout provided an irresistible opportunity to try a little grand touring of our own. Bentley needed the Flying Spur it was loaning us-a gorgeous creature in cypress gray-green metallic paint with a saddle-over-cognac-leather and burled-walnut interior that looked rich enough to munch on for dessert-driven from Venice to Munich. That's normally a six-hour drive, but with the long May Day weekend coming up, the Bentley people didn't really need the car till the next Tuesday. So I pocketed the keys, waved good-bye, and headed for the hills with photographer Martyn Goddard in the passenger seat. Our mission? Spend five days finding out just how grand continental touring can be these days when you've got your hands on one of the fastest and most lavishly appointed four-door sedans ever built.
As you might expect from its pedigree-Bentleys have been looking good since the '20s, and the Continental GT was named L'Automobile Pi Bella del Mondo ("the Most Beautiful Car in the World") in 2003-our Flying Spur cut a fine figure as it murmured north from Venice. From its elegant mesh grille to its two understated taillights (from which the brake lights, turn signals, and backup lamps emerge on call like a cat's eyes in the dark), it tastefully invoked its estimable heritage without getting sentimental about it.... Read full article