2023 Bentley Flying Spur Speed First Test Review: Requiem for a W-12

It's no secret that ever-tightening worldwide emissions regulations will likely bring the golden age of gas-fueled horsepower to an ignominious end. Battery-electric powertrains have become the way forward, whether we (or Bentley) want them to or not. Bentley itself has committed to 2030 as its demarcation line for when it will have electrified its entire vehicle lineup. But before its signature W-12 engine goes gentle into that good night, Bentley is firing off a few more twin-turbo, 6.0-liter salutes under the bonnet of cars like the 2023 Bentley Flying Spur Speed, which we recently tested and drove extensively.

We also had a chance to chat with Bentley's Jonathan Smedley, who some 20 years ago helped install the W-12's assembly line at the automaker's Crewe, England, production facility. A team of 30 or so Crewe crew members have hand-assembled the engines ever since then, more than 100,000 in all to date, taking more than six hours to complete each one. While a Volkswagen Group design at the outset, Bentley has taken great pride over the years in upping the W-12 engine's output as well as reducing its emissions, so as to continue capitalizing on the unique packaging advantages the W configuration has over a traditional V-12.

"For me it's very personal," Smedley said of the W-12's death, as the engine will cease production in spring 2024. "It's no surprise you cannot sustain it given the emissions and sustainability requirements we're under. A few of us would have liked to have put an e-motor in between the W-12 and the transmission, but sadly that's not going to happen." We would have liked to see that too, Mr. Smedley.

Fire up the engine, and the Flying Spur Speed rumbles to life, almost rudely so for such a stiff-upper-lipped, grand touring sedan. But it quickly settles into a low hum, and under normal driving conditions you almost forget what's under the hood. It has six-cylinder deactivation tech; during a long freeway stint on the way from Los Angeles to Phoenix and back, it was almost imperceptible sound-wise most of the time. You won't truly feel its thunder unless you really put the, er, spurs to it.

During our official testing of the 2023 Bentley Flying Spur Speed, we summoned every last bit of the W-12's 626 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque: Needing just 3.6 seconds to accelerate from 0-60 mph, this big bad Bentley boy can boogie. It dipped just below the 12-second mark in the quarter mile, hitting 11.9 seconds at 120.0 mph. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider its 5,607-pound curb weight. Oh, and in case you wonder, Bentley says the Flying Spur Speed can touch 207 mph if you dare.

Indeed, the 2023 Flying Spur Speed's heftiness no doubt led Bentley to fit the car with absolutely gargantuan 16.5-inch cast-iron front brakes—to date the biggest units ever fitted to a production car (add $1,740 for black-painted calipers). Its impressive 109-foot stopping distance from 60 mph is emblematic of that decision, as we encountered no fade and excellent body control even after repeated hard stops during our testing.

The car's skidpad and figure-eight numbers are just as eye-popping as the braking distance for a luxury sedan this big and heavy. The speedy Spur's 0.93-g skidpad average number matches that of a new Nissan Z we tested, and its 24.2-second (at an average of 0.80 g) MotorTrend figure-eight time bests a 2023 Corvette Stingray convertible (24.5 sec at 0.78 g).

We generally noted good things about the 2023 Bentley Flying Spur Speed's comportment under duress, other than some minor downshifting and throttle modulation issues at the limit. It certainly drives much smaller and lighter than it is, and it feels super-composed with amazing body control. We even managed to execute a mini-drift on a few corner exits. Overall, we found the car to be pretty much what we expected, but also, perhaps, even a little better than expected.

For a vehicle with as much presence and panache as a 2023 Bentley Flying Spur offers, touring in Bentley's grand touring signature sedan for 370 miles or so wasn't exactly easy. Other than two small cupholders, there is precious little room for anything else up front. Two people with two cell phones and snacks and more than two drinks took some shoehorning and stuffing and shoving into crevices and footwells. Back when the grand touring idea was in its heyday decades ago, none of these things mattered to people, but they do now. You can, however, fit a decent amount of luggage in the trunk (14.8 cubic feet), and rear-seat passengers predictably get more room to stretch out and luxuriate.

When it came to eating up the miles, the drive itself was easy. Whenever a semi-challenging canyon road presented itself, the Bentley Flying Spur Speed was up to the task. All Speeds come with several Bentley-tuned suspension and traction systems, including a 48-volt-powered active anti-roll bar system, active all-wheel drive, and rear-wheel steering, which not only aids handling but also  enables the car's tight (36.3-foot) low-speed turning circle. The air suspension is further controlled by Bentley's Dynamic Ride system. But then again, all Flying Spurs regardless of engine either come with this equipment or are available with it. We did tend to wonder, though: What, other than the W-12 (you can still get the engine in the Flying Spur Mulliner spec, as well), makes the Speed speedier than the rest? Best we could tell, it's an aesthetics specification.

Around-town driving was as you'd expect of a Bentley: quiet, composed, comfortable. At freeway pace, the Speed's big Pirelli tires were a bit slap-happy depending on the pavement, but nothing too off-putting or annoying. The only minor powertrain issue we experienced was akin to what we found at the test track, as the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission tended to skip a beat as the Speed reared on its 22-inch rear haunches during launches from cruising speeds.

Other than the front space conundrum, there's very little to complain about with the Flying Spur Speed's Dinamica-lined (think Alcantara, only more eco-friendly) cabin—that is, if you're willing to ante up for the good stuff. For a car with such a low-slung greenhouse, you'll want the panoramic glass sliding sunroof ($3,470). We're not sure about the Touring package ($8,815), as lane keep assist and night vision performed average at best, though adaptive cruise control and the head-up display were useful on the long drive, as was Bentley's Safeguard Plus safety suite.

Don't forget about the impress-your-friends options, including what no Flying Spur Speed should come without, the Blackline (blacked-out) trim package ($4,930, which to us should be standard fare). Other big-ticket items include contrast stitching ($2,100, also surprisingly not standard), the Bentley rotating center display ($6,620), a Flying B pop-up radiator mascot ($5,060), mood lighting ($2,645), aluminum trim ($4,125), and the ear-whalloping Naim sound system ($9,150). And don't forget the 22-inch, 10-spoke sports wheels done up in Pale Brodgar Satin ($4,355), which brilliantly complement this particular car's bedazzling Emerald Green sheen.

Make no mistake: Impressing your friends, and in this case, the family as we carted them around the Phoenix area, is what this car is all about. You buy a luxury sedan like the 2023 Bentley Flying Spur Speed for just more than $322,000 (as equipped) because you've made it, because you care about the message you send to other people, and to play with the massaging seats in the back, to gasp in wonder as you spin the center display and show off the old-school chronograph gauges. Bentley has done an amazing job in the past 20 years of carving out its modern place in the upper-crust luxury-liner pantheon, and as the company moves into the electrified era, the W-12 engine has only burnished that reputation.