There’s driving in winter weather and then there’s this—Bentley’s Flying Spur Speed hybrid has again demonstrated its performance in all conditions by setting a new winter lap record at the world’s most northerly active race circuit. The record was set at the Drivecenter Arena circuit in Fällfors, northern Sweden— and a former military airbase just 100 miles from the Arctic Circle.
Despite the entirety of the 2.05-mile track being covered in 12 inches of ice and snow, the Flying Spur Speed was able to complete laps in under 3 minutes, with the best time standing at 2:58—the quickest any vehicle has lapped the facility in winter conditions, according to officials. The Flying Spur’s variable four-wheel drive system and rear-wheel steering combined to give the car outstanding agility in the conditions, and peak speed was 120 mph during the record run despite the longest straight being less than 1,500 feet long and covered in sheet ice.
The record was inspired by a combination of previous events from Bentley’s history—the two Ice Speed records captured by the carmaker in 2007 and 2011, and the 1-hour endurance record set by a Turbo R at Millbrook Proving Ground in the UK in 1986 where 140 mph was averaged around the banked bowl. While conditions mirrored those of the Ice Speed records, the car that was used—registration Y15 BML—has a specification matched to the Turbo R in Bentley’s Heritage Collection.
Identical Brooklands Green paintwork, yellow fine lines and an interior in Linen, Cumbrian Green and Open Pore Walnut were specified to mark the Turbo R’s 40th birthday this year.
Flying Spur Speed – Performance in All Conditions
The Flying Spur Speed is a car designed to deliver exceptional driving performance in all conditions, thanks to its Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain and advanced chassis systems. An advanced 600 PS 4.0L twin-turbo V-8 is combined with a 190 PS electric motor integrated within the 8-speed dual clutch transmission. In Sport Mode the powertrain deploys a full 782 PS and 1,000 Nm, with the instant torque of the E-motor complementing the charismatic cross-plane beat of the V-8.
In pure EV mode, the E-motor provides 190 PS and 450 Nm of torque, more than enough to keep up with the traffic in most situations, while the 25.9 kWh battery offers up to 47 miles of usable electric-only range (on the EU drive cycle). Together, the V-8 and E-motor provide the new Flying Spur with a total range of 515 miles. Full electric mode can be deployed at speeds of up to 87 mph, with throttle applications of up to 75%.
The Bentley Performance Active Chassis comes standard with the Flying Spur Speed. Features of the sophisticated new setup include Bentley Dynamic Ride and all-wheel steering, along with an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, while a new generation of ESC software permits a range of driving styles to be accessed and provides reliable traction in all conditions—though the record was set with the system completely switched off.
With the new car’s rear-biased weight distribution of 48.3:51.7, the chassis systems and ESC have a mechanically optimized platform that provides the final refinement. The system uses active torque vectoring front to rear through a center differential and precision vectoring across each axle using the brakes to provide exceptional traction in all conditions—vital for a fast lap on snow-covered sheet ice.
