► It’s the new 2019 Bentley Flying Spur
► Spied testing as Panamera mule
► The two cars share same MSB platform
Bentley is busy working on the follow-up to its starter limousine, the Flying Spur.
Our spies caught it undergoing winter testing in Scandinavia; this is an engineering mule for the new saloon, based on the running gear and lashed-up bodywork of the new Porsche Panamera.
So the Bentley and the Porsche are twinned?
Kind of. In the new world order at Wolfsburg, even the most premium of its brands are forced to platform-share now – the new 2019 Bentley Flying Spur and Porsche Panamera use the same underlying architecture.
Called MSB-F, it’s a rear- and all-wheel drive compliant base for the group’s luxury sports saloons, and brings a host of electronic tech, lightweight dieting and autonomous driving systems.
The new shared componentry plan is part of a business overhaul at Bentley, which is targeting 20,000 annual sales by the end of the decade.
The Bentley looks… longer than the Porsche
Indeed it is. This engineering mule has a visibly longer wheelbase; those super-stretched rear doors are in fact temporary plastic items, quickly crafted to fill in the gap.
The Flying Spur is the more luxury-oriented four-door saloon version of the new 2018 Bentley Continental GT range, previously scooped here. The coupe and convertible are likely to launch first, with the Spur after.
All three model ranges will share much of their tech and wardrobe. Expect to see lashings of Speed 6 concept car style – and we hear the 6.0-litre W12 engine will continue in addition to V8 power, as Crewe rams home the top-end luxury of even its cheapest cars.
Click here for more spyshots of secret future cars
