What's all this about?

Following the success of the Continental GT Blackline, Bentley has revealed a new Blackline edition for its Flying Spur saloon. The Crewe-based company will be hoping the new Flying Spur Mulliner Blackline can replicate the success of its two-door sibling, which already accounts for 20 per cent of Continental customers.

What does Blackline specification involve?

Like the Continental Blackline, the Blackline Flying Spur replaces all the exterior chrome brightwork (excluding the winged Bentley badge) with gloss black alternatives, giving the limo a more contemporary look. Gone are the satin silver door mirror caps, with gloss black versions in their place alongside the now-blackened wing vents and radiator grille, though the edges of the latter remain silver. Blackline specification also offers customers the option of 22-inch Mulliner alloy wheels in contrasting black and silver with self-levelling badges.

Anything else?

Not a lot. Beyond the removal of the exterior chrome there’s little change compared with the standard Flying Spur Mulliner, with a sumptuous tri-colour leather-clad interior, diamond quilting on the seats and beautifully milled metallic surfaces on the dashboard framing the analogue clock. It’s just as plush in the rear, with electrically operated self-levelling veneered picnic tables deploying with the push of a button.

Same engines as before?

Engine choices in the Blackline are the same as those in the rest of the Flying Spur Mulliner line-up with the option of a 6.0-litre twin-turbo twelve-cylinder model, a 4.0-litre V8 or a V6 hybrid. All models are capable of dashing from 0-60mph in at least a none-too-sedate four seconds, with the twelve-cylinder able to make the sprint in 3.7 seconds before going on to a top speed of 207mph.

What else is happening at Bentley?

On the subject of powertrains, Bentley’s Mulliner division, which maintains a small coachbuilding arm as well as providing more luxurious trim levels for the company’s cars, will debut an all-new model at Monterey Car Week in California later this week. Dubbed the Batur, the successor to the Bacalar will showcase a new design language for Bentley and Mulliner which will, the company says, provide a glimpse of the themes and design cues for Bentley’s future range of electric vehicles. The Batur won’t be an electric vehicle itself though, retaining the same big W12 engine seen in the rest of the Bentley line-up.

James Fossdyke - 22 Aug 2022