Bentley has unveiled the flagship of its line-up – the new and sporty Bentley Mulsanne Speed ahead of its Paris Auto Show premiere happening early next month.

Assertive speed styling with new exclusive features

According to the company, the model has been designed as “the fastest ultra-luxury driving experience in the world.”

“The new Mulsanne Speed is the car that defines Bentley, as a flagship for driving luxury performance. Our customers don’t compromise, and we’ve adopted the same approach in the design, engineering and crafting of our new flagship,” says Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley Motors, Wolfgang Durheimer.

He added that “the Mulsanne Speed is distinguished, calm and relaxing, but always with a connection to the road and relentless dynamic performance on demand. In this car, every journey becomes a drive.”

The Bentley Mulsanne Speed will be officially unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, and will be available in four new exterior colours – Spectre, Candy Red, Camel and Marlin. The model will additionally feature a dark tint finish applied to the radiator grille, lower bumper grilles and wing vents. It will also be equipped with new 21-inch wheels, available in painted, polished and dark tint with machined accent finishes.

The distinctive headlights of the Mulsanne show the same dark tint application, and at the rear of the car the taillights retain the “floating ellipse” design, but are similarly finished with a dark tint for a striking appearance, especially at night. Completing the exterior changes are the twin rifled exhaust tailpipes and polished stainless steel Speed badging on the front fender and door tread plate areas.

Inside, the Bentley Mulsanne Speed features a new and unique colour split with new stitch lines that combines diamond quilted light-colour hide with darker, smooth hide. The Piano Black veneer panels now include handcrafted carbon fibre inlays, with the model also getting the Mulliner Driving Specification interior features as standard.

Re-engineered powertrain

Power comes from an upgraded 6.75-litre V8 engine producing 395 kW and 1100 Nm of torque. This allows the luxury car to complete the 0-100 km/h task in only 4.9 seconds, reaching a top speed of 305 km/h.

The new engine is paired with a recalibrated eight-speed gearbox designed to enhance the driving experience of the Mulsanne Speed. Besides the upgraded engine, the Mulsanne Speed also gets a selectable sports suspension and steering on demand. The suspension’s Sport mode stiffens the all-round air suspension for improved body control and adjusts the steering dynamics for greater feedback and accuracy.

The unit further benefits from a cylinder deactivation system that allows it to run as a V4, resulting in CO2 emissions reduced from 393 g/km to 342 g/km.

The Bentley Mulsanne Speed will be fully unveiled at the Paris Motor Show on October 2 and is said to be available for customer delivery sometime this year. South African availability is yet to be confirmed.