I've always had a soft spot for Bentley. There's something about the leather, the wood, the deep carpets, and that quiet swagger the brand carries that just gets me. It turns even a quick grocery run into something that feels a notch above normal life.
Recently, I drove two Flying Spurs back-to-back -- a short half-hour in a 2005 Bentley Continental Flying Spur from the automaker's heritage fleet, then several days in a hybrid 2026 Bentley Flying Spur Speed press loan -- and it felt like hopping between two parallel timelines. Same idea, same silhouette, same sense of occasion, just told through two totally different decades.
What surprised me wasn't how far apart they were. It was how right each one felt for its era. One's old-school indulgence; the other's modern, effortless intelligence. Both are unmistakably Bentley, just speaking different dialects.
The 2005 Continental Flying Spur came from Bentley's own heritage fleet, while the 2026 Flying Spur Speed was a press loan. I sampled the older car briefly before taking the new one home for a multi-day evaluation.
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Posts 5 By Adam Gray 3 days ago Design and dimensions: familiar DNA with sharper edges
Bentley doesn't design quiet cars -- they design cars people notice. The 2005 Continental Flying Spur leans into that timeless, upright look with a long 5,290mm body, a 3,065mm wheelbase, and a single, uninterrupted profile line. With the Mulliner full-length rear console and two individual rear seats, it practically invites you to be chauffeured, even though most owners weren't.
The 2026 Flying Spur Speed keeps that same foundation but sharpens everything. Slimmer LEDs, smoother surfaces, and subtle aero tweaks give it a more athletic stance without messing with the grand-touring silhouette. It's still a big, heavy car, but it looks poised -- not bulky.
Out on the road, I got different reactions. People really stared at the 2005 Continental Flying Spur, drawn to its classic proportions and that "wow, haven't seen one of those in a while" vibe. When it came to the 2026 Flying Spur Speed, a car full of guys actually shouted compliments across the lane in traffic. The old car gets quiet admiration; the new one gets loud appreciation.
Specs snapshot: old-school muscle vs hybrid punch 2005 Continental Flying Spur (press car): 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 twin-turbo, 550 hp, 479 lb-ft, 0-62 mph 5.2 sec, 195 mph top speed 2026 Flying Spur Speed (press car): 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 hybrid, 771 hp, 738 lb-ft, 0-60 mph 3.3 sec, 177 mph top speed Cockpit tech: buttons everywhere vs digital calm
The 2005 Continental Flying Spur is pure early-2000s inside. Every feature has a physical button -- hundreds of them. Once you learn where everything is, it makes sense, but the learning curve is... real. I even had to take a moment to remember how to operate the original navigation system. It's charming and very tactile, if a bit overwhelming at first.
The 2026 Flying Spur Speed takes the opposite approach. Clean screens, minimal buttons, and intuitive menus make it feel modern without going cold. The rotating display instantly became "the James Bond screen," according to my ten-year-old son Oscar -- who meant it as a genuine compliment.
Some of the newer systems, especially lane assist, can feel a little clingy, but overall the cabin removes friction rather than adds it. That's exactly what modern luxury should do.
Engine and driving tech: growl vs glide
Switching from the 2005 Continental Flying Spur to the 2026 Flying Spur Speed made the differences impossible to ignore. The W12 in the old car is smooth and charismatic, but everything happens with a bit of ceremony. Acceleration swells rather than snaps. Braking takes a good push. The steering is heavier, and the massive fixed paddles make shifts feel like commitments. It's mechanical, engaging luxury -- and thirsty. Expect around 16-17 mpg combined, dropping to 10-11 mpg in city driving.
The new Speed, meanwhile, can creep around silently in EV mode, gliding through traffic like it's no big deal. Press harder and the hybrid system dumps 771 horsepower onto the road instantly. Brakes are lighter, steering is easier, and torque vectoring tidies up corners the old car just muscles through.
And the kicker? On my drive home from Bentley's Crewe HQ, I hit 40 mpg. In a nearly 800-horsepower Bentley. That alone shows how far we've come.
Safety and driver assistance: feel vs foresight
The 2005 Continental Flying Spur gives you the basics -- airbags, ABS, stability control -- and leaves the rest to you. It's satisfying on a calm road but can get tiring on a long trip.
The 2026 Flying Spur Speed brings the full modern suite: adaptive cruise, lane keep assist, night vision, a 360-degree camera system, and predictive safety features. Highway miles become almost effortless, though occasionally the lane assist feels a little too invested in how you're driving. Still, the peace of mind is hard to beat.
Comfort and cabin tech: craftsmanship vs cocooning
Both cars feel unmistakably Bentley inside. The 2005 Continental Flying Spur surrounds you with leather, burr walnut, and that sense of "this will last forever." The Mulliner rear console turns the back seat into two proper thrones. Comfort isn't adjustable in a modern sense, but it's genuinely excellent.
The 2026 Flying Spur Speed layers in more: massaging and ventilated seats, configurable ambient lighting, upgraded rear entertainment, and an advanced climate system that seems to predict what you want. My girlfriend Suzy loved the massaging seats so much she joked they undid "all the stress I cause her." I chose to interpret that as a compliment.
The new car uses tech to cocoon you, not show off -- and that feels like the right approach.
Connectivity: from CDs to cloud comfort
Back in 2005, CDs were still king, GPS felt futuristic, and phone integration wasn't really a thing. The system works now, but you can definitely tell it's from the early days of in-car tech.
The 2026 Flying Spur Speed, by contrast, is basically a rolling Wi-Fi network: streaming music, cloud services, over-the-air updates, predictive navigation -- the whole package. It's all integrated quietly and cleanly, which is how tech should feel in a luxury car.
Driving impressions: two eras, two personalities
The 2005 Continental Flying Spur is big, heavy, and wonderfully mechanical. You feel every action, and that's part of its charm. It's not efficient, but it has real personality. I'd happily own one for the analog experience alone.
The 2026 Flying Spur Speed is its opposite: light on its feet, incredibly fast, and almost unnervingly composed. It glides in EV mode, growls when you push it, and never feels like it's working hard. Even with a few overprotective driver-assist moments, it's a fantastic daily driver.
Honestly, they both deliver exactly what a Bentley should -- just interpreted through their own decades.
Conclusion: evolution without compromise
Separated by 20 years, these two Flying Spurs tell the same story from different angles. Bentley didn't ditch its core values -- craftsmanship, elegance, presence, indulgence. It just built on them.
The 2005 Continental Flying Spur remains timeless, stately, and full of analog charm. The 2026 Flying Spur Speed shows what modern luxury looks like when it's thoughtful, powerful, quiet, and surprisingly efficient.
Two eras. One philosophy. Still unmistakably Bentley.