2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur

A Cypress 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur leaving Carcadia.

"Hey, let's take the Continental GT and make it into a sedan!" Spawning a four-door variant of a car initially developed as a coupe was an unusual idea. But somebody at Bentley definitely got a huge raise for it. The first-generation Continental GT was already a huge success, spearheading Bentley's move into the modern era under VW ownership. The only problem? Not every potential customer wanted only two doors. The Continental Flying Spur was the perfect solution for ultra-luxury sedan shoppers who found the Arnage too old-fashioned or unnecessarily expensive. And with Rolls-Royce's Ghost still several years away, it was pretty much in a class of its own, positioned well above more mainstream luxury sedans like the 7-Series and S-Class but comfortably below the Arnage and Phantom.

With the Continental GT already well-established globally as a status symbol, the Flying Spur expanded the GT's success using the same 552-hp W12 engine, luxury interior features, and modern styling that's clearly luxurious but not too attention-grabbing. And it's probably one of the only modern cars that could pull off this greyish-greenish-brownish color so well. Despite exotic-level pricing, these aren't cars you'd often find at car shows, since they were typically purchased as daily drivers. Over the years, first-generation Flying Spurs have become harder to find on the streets as owners replaced them with newer models. I'm glad this example, which was already 14 years old at the time I saw it, was still being put to good use. I'm also glad the owner wasn't afraid to demonstrate its acceleration capabilities. The Flying Spur is definitely a big and heavy car not meant for spirited driving. But with so much power under the hood, you can certainly have a surprising amount of fun.

18 years after its initial introduction, the Flying Spur soldiers on in its third generation (no longer badged as a Continental) and is now the only four-door sedan in Bentley's lineup. What began as an unusual idea has clearly proven to be a recipe for success.

If you had this car now, would you use it as a daily driver, keep it stored away, or trade it in for something else? Leave a comment on YouTube and let me know!