JEDDAH, 26 June 2005 — The eagerly anticipated Bentley Continental Flying Spur has been officially launched in Jeddah.
Bentley’s new sport-sedan was unveiled at Saudi Arabian Markets Bentley showroom to a gathering of invited clients and journalists.
Though the Flying Spur reached world markets very recently, it was designed and developed in unison with its smaller GT coupe stablemate that went on sale 18 months ago. Powered by a 6-liter, twin-turbocharged, 12-cylinder engine, it is engineered and built at Bentley’s factory in Crewe. The all-wheel-drive system is driven by an advanced six-speed automatic gearbox with paddleshift controls.
Bentley’s Regional Director for the Middle East, Africa and India, Ian Gorsuch, said that despite the enormous power, the built-in emission control systems render it very eco-friendly. “We can sell it in California,” he said with characteristic reserve. California has some of the toughest environmental laws in the world.
The Flying Spur version of Bentley’s Continental GT is the world’s fastest sedan at 195mph (312km/h) and a 0-60mph time of 4.9 seconds (0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds).
Gorsuch said that all the very latest safety features had been incorporated into the car — air bags, stability control, ABS and others. “The brakes are the biggest and most powerful of any production car,” he told journalists. “Safety is naturally a major concern.”
Bentley is starting to stretch its Crewe production base; 2004 saw the production of 6000 cars the company expects to build and sell almost 9000 units in 2006. Gorusch said that production will be capped at 9999 cars per annum world wide, “to maintain exclusivity.”
Seventy of the new Flying Spurs are allocated for the Saudi market for the coming year, along with 30 of the Continental GT models. Total allocation for the Middle East area is 500.
Gorsuch said that the typical buyer profile had changed over recent years with the advent of the smaller two door Bentleys. Unusually 80 percent of the clients buying the Continental Coupe were first time Bentley buyers, whereas normally the majority of buyers are repeat clients. He described entry level buyers as often being 30 years old or younger, “especially in the Kingdom,” adding that one characteristic they all have, “is a real passion for cars.”
The Flying Spur enters the Saudi market at about SR790, 000 which can rise to SR820,000 with the full option package. Although stocks have not yet arrived in Saudi Arabia, several have already been sold and will be delivered soon.
