Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed news - Spur of the moment - 2008

Bentley has just announced its most powerful four-door ever: the 600bhp Continental Flying Spur Speed.

Essentially the GT Speed coupe with a couple of extra doors - or the Flying Spur with a meatier engine, depending on which way you cut it - the Flying Spur Speed is the headliner of a bunch of revisions to Bentley's Premiership favourite.

It keeps Bentley's tried-and-tested six-litre W12 engine, but power is up nine per cent over the, erm, standard Flying Spur, with torque up 15 per cent. That means a 0-60mph time of just 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 200mph - yes, that's Ferrari 612-rivalling performance. From a four-door.

The Speed sits 10mm lower on its springs and features fatter 20-inch alloys and a 'dynamic' ESP system, if you fancy engaging in some very British drifting.

The Flying Spur Speed should sound good, too. Not just in the engine department, but also from its new 1100 watt Naim audio system - the most powerful sound system on any production car. Evidently Bentley knows its market...

Bentleyphiles (surely there's a nicer word than that?) will spot the subtle styling revisions to the Flying Spur - a more upright front grille, bigger air intakes and a mildly-altered rear bumper - but there's nothing there to put off the trad WAG crowd.

No word on prices yet, but we reckon you're looking at about £140,000 for a slice of 600bhp four-door fun. Or about a week's wages, in other words...