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Tours de Force: Exploring New Zealand in the new Bentley Flying Spur

1 December 2019 • Written by Jennifer Read-Dominguez

The 36th America's Cup, held in March 2021 in Auckland, will showcase the world’s most pioneering design in yacht racing – the 22.9-metre foiling AC75 monohull. These boats are so new that the teams’ first hulls are only set to hit the water this autumn. So start your next Bentley Flying Spur journey here in Auckland and watch Team NZ’s 11-strong crew practising in Waitematā Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf – and hear for yourself the otherworldly whistle the AC75 makes as it flies along at up to 50 knots.

Best-ever performance like this comes through the application of groundbreaking design and production techniques. The Flying Spur’s pioneering design incorporates the largest super-formed panel in the automotive industry. Technically, this makes the car as light as possible, improving performance and efficiency while enabling best-in-class body stiffness. What it also means is fewer breaks and seams in the body, so your car’s exterior is unified and smooth, which translates into an assertive, striking and dynamic saloon that sits apart from the competition.

You’ll turn heads with the sporty-looking Flying Spur’s elegant roofline and sweeping side-glass profile as you take state Highway 1 into Waikato, passing through small towns and skirting Lake Waikare as you head south. This car’s effortless fluidity is actually the result of laser-focused attention to detail – incorporating the antennas and aerials in the boot lid, for example, to negate the need to disrupt the smooth lines of the roof; disconnecting the sculpted power line along the car’s side, to allow a raised haunch line to emulate the latent power of an apex predator. Every decision, every element, has been carefully chosen to contribute to the car’s confident and commanding character.

The trip from Auckland to Wellington is a long one, at 645 kilometres, but you’ll have everything you need to make it enjoyable. The Bentley Dynamic Ride system in the Flying Spur ensures a responsive ride and exceptional handling and refinement in all road conditions. The system controls and adjusts electronic actuators on the anti-roll bar of each axle and improves handling and ride comfort, as well as making the car feel lighter and more precise, delivering class-leading comfort and handling on this trip.

Take the opportunity for a tech detox by flipping the rotating centre display to hide the digital screen. Show instead the classic analogue dials or even a plain, clean, beautifully veneered surface that blends perfectly in to the rest of your custom interior.

Break up the journey with a hiking, cycling or river canoeing adventure among the steep bluffs and ravines of Whanganui National Park. Then perhaps make the New Zealand Rugby Museum in Palmerston North your next stop.

After that, if you’re in the mood for an invigorating blast down to Wellington, Sport mode will make your Flying Spur feel more urgent, sending the power to the rear wheels and running one gear lower than in Bentley mode for exhilarating driving. In Wellington, meet your boat again, navigate the Cook Strait and take your time exploring the unspoilt coastline of the South Island, enjoying the famously cinematic views.

For more information on the new Bentley Flying Spur, visit bentleymotors.com/newflyingspur

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