The new Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid will launch with a limited-edition model that features a number of special features developed from the EXP 100 concept car designed to showcase the brand’s commitment to new sustainable materials.
The recently revealed version of the four-door grand tourer follows the Bentayga Hybrid as the firm’s second plug-in model, and is a key step on the Crewe firm’s path to becoming an EV-only brand by 2030 as part of its Beyond 100 strategy.
The new Flying Spur Hybrid Odyssean Edition will be limited to around 300 units, and will effectively serve as the launch version of the new model. It will feature the standard powertrain from the new hybrid, with a 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6 mated to a 134bhp electric motor for an output of 536bhp and 553lb ft, a 0-62mph time of 4.1sec, a top speed of 177mph and an EV-only range of around 25 miles.
The significant differences of the Odyssean Edition are found inside the car, with extensive use of new, sustainable materials, many of which were first seen on the EXP 100 GT that was produced in 2019 for the brand’s 100th anniversary. That concept was designed to showcase Bentley’s future as an electric and sustainable brand, and the use of materials from it in the Odyssean Edition is designed to showcase the early steps to realise that goal. That is echoed in the name, which refers to the Odyssey and is designed to mark the model as the first step on a long journey.
The materials include upholstery featuring tweed made from British wool, which has been switched into a bespoke yarn for Bentley. It is the first production use of the fabric in a vehicle, and showcases efforts the firm is making to use sustainable wool more widely, including development on a fabric made from a mix of wool and recycled polyester.
The dashboard is finished with an open pore Koa wood veneer, which in order to improve sustainability is finished with just three layers of lacquer, using 90% less lacquer than traditional high-gloss veneers. That also means the natural wood surface can be felt. Koa wood is sourced from sustainably managed forests in Hawaii, and Bentley says it plants three trees for every one it fells.
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They say there's a car to suit all tastes, let's leave it that.
Not the best engine to put in a heavy cruiser, especially as it is found in much more prosaic vehicles, but the electric boost presumably provides the expected waftability of such a car.
Disappointing that the leather is only sourced from some Italian place, why not encourage this in the UK leather industry rather than focus on some EU-centric association? Conolly was always the pinnacle for leather seats, the brand still going under CB leather. The seats probably will be made in the UK, after all.
Bentley needs to grow its own walnut wood... straight-grain just doesn't look sufficiently luxurious.