The Bentley Flying Spur Has Killed Off The Mulsanne

When we drove the new Bentley Flying Spur for the first time last year, we questioned why anyone would now buy a Mulsanne. Not unless they were especially worried about carpet thickness, that is.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Bentley has since announced that the Flying Spur is replacing the Mulsanne as the company’s flagship. Mulsanne production will end at the factory in Crewe this Spring, with no job losses - all affected staff will be “redeployed” elsewhere in the business.

The last 30 units to roll off the production line will be in ‘6.75 Edition’ spec. These Mullinner-tweaked vehicles are based on the Mulsanne Speed, meaning each will develop 530bhp and a monstrous 811lb ft of torque. All of that comes from Bentley’s 6.75-litre twin-turbo engine, the world’s longest-serving V8.

Inside, you have a choice of four different leather hides - Imperial Blue, Beluga, Fireglow and Newmarket Tan. The centre console veneer is painted silver, while the vast dashboard is high-gloss black. A neat finishing touch is the ‘organ stop’ vent controls - you’ll find a miniature replica of the V8’s oil cap on the end of each.

The outside looks noticeably meaner than the average Mulsanne, with numerous gloss black details, a darker ‘Mulliner Serenity’ grille, and a tinted Flying B adding a sense of moodiness to proceedings. 21-inch Mulsanne Speed alloy wheels fill each wheel arch.

Pricing for the Mulsanne 6.75 Edition has been divulged, but with the standard Speed costing £262,200, we wouldn’t be surprised if it’s going to be over £300,000. The sensible thing to do would be to buy a Flying Spur, festoon it with expensive options and pocket the change, but in any case, we’ll happily doff our caps to the 30 classy so-and-sos who go for the Edition.

As for the rest of us, we’ll be pressing F twice: once for the Mulsanne, and another for its V8.