FIRST DRIVE - BENTLEY CONTINENTAL FLYING SPUR SPEED: Bentley's Continental Flying Spur not fast enough for you, sir? Then perhaps the new 'Speed' version will suffice. Kevin Hackettputs his foot down. . .
THE WORLD'S fastest. There's nothing quite like that mantle to grab the headlines, but such wanton tabloid fodder would be rather vulgar for a company like Bentley. So, Bentley, is the new Continental Flying Spur Speed the fastest production four-door car on the planet? "Ahem. We couldn't possibly comment."
What the Crewe concern will admit to, though, is that the 2009 model year CFS (so much easier to write) is the most powerful four-door they've ever produced. But then so was the last one. It's no secret that every Continental, be it GT or Flying Spur, that's left the factory since production began, has been capable of smashing through the 200mph barrier. Only now it's "official".
The ubiquitous Continental GT coupé was given the "Speed" treatment almost a year ago and it vastly improved its dynamics, turning it into a bona fide battleship. But the Flying Spur has always been a different animal, despite its very similar specification. It's the car you might choose to be driven in, rather than drive yourself, cushioned from the world inside double-glazed, wood and leather-lined über-luxury.
Rubbish. Anyone who chose to occupy the rear seat of one of these fine motor cars was missing out on a surreally satisfying experience behind the wheel. For 2009, as well as the aforementioned Speed derivative, the standard car has come in for some timely improvements, not least the subtle tweaks made to what was, from some angles, an awkward styling job.
Now the front end looks suitably menacing, with a more aggressive appearance that fits in nicely with the potential for such colossal, erm, speed. The rear, too, looks narrower, more delicate, thanks to expert use of brightwork that cohesively brings the entire design together. But it's under the skin that the real changes are lurking.
Nobody on the planet does interiors quite like Bentley. The sublime suppleness of the quilted leather, the almost supernatural lustre of the polished woodwork that's so deep you want to sink an arm right into it - everything is here to remind you where your minimum €150k went.
Bentleys aren't immune to the modifier's knife, which was one of the reasons the CGT Speed came about last year. Bentley got fed up dealing with ludicrous warranty claims (particularly from the US) once aftermarket tuners had tried to liberate more power from that mighty, twin-turbo W12 and failed, turning the engine into the world's most expensive pile of swarf.
So the Flying Spur gets the same treatment and that means much-strengthened engine internals to cope with the extra rigours of liberating more power - in the case of the Speed that's a huge 600bhp. And along with the extra grunt, there's a more focused suspension set-up and larger diameter, intricately-designed wheels.
Sitting behind the wheels are carbon ceramic brakes that are guaranteed for the life of the car, which is just as well as this option costs more than most cars. With 2.5 tons to stop, they do a remarkable job of wiping off huge speeds.
Despite the Speed's stiffer suspension, it's still a very civilised machine. You could drive over lesser vehicles and not feel a thing, it really is that comfortable. There's more of a growl to the exhaust though, and when you floor the accelerator it immediately changes character. The nose lifts ever so slightly, there's a muted roar and this enormous stately home on wheels charges towards your chosen horizon with supernatural force.
There's one drawback to this performance, and that's startling single-figure fuel consumption. Still, it shouldn't worry most Bentley customers, even in these cash-strapped times.
Something else worthy of mention is the new high-end audio equipment. It's become de rigueur for every manufacturer to boast about their Bang and Olufsens, their Bose and their Bowers and Wilkins - they're all at it, and Bentley knew the stereo in its cars was letting the side down. So they teamed up with English company Naim. If you're in the market for a new stereo for the living room and you've got €250,000 burning a hole in your pocket, you call Naim.
They've rewritten the rulebook as to how car audio should sound. They've taken the technology of Naim's premium home hi-fi systems and shoehorned it into a little black box that sits in the boot of a Bentley.
A comparative snip at €5,670, this option is a no-brainer if you're speccing a car that starts at €149,700.
Besides, now it's this good, you could probably sell the house and live in the car.
Factfile - Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed
Engine:5998cc W12 putting out 600bhp and 750Nm of torque
Transmission:Six-speed automatic with paddle-shift override, four-wheel drive
Max speed:322 km/h
0-100km/h:4.5 seconds
Fuel economy:16.6 l/100km (17mpg)
CO2:396g/km