Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid to get V8 engine

Bentley will soon offer a more powerful V8 plug-in hybrid powertrain in its Flying Spur saloon, according to the car’s chief technical engineer. The set-up, a version of which is currently offered in the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, produces almost 700bhp.

Speaking at the launch of the new Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid, Steve Jones – chief technical engineer for Continental GT and Flying Spur – told Auto Express the V6 is a “stepping stone”. Bentley will electrify its entire range by 2024, with hybrids playing a big part in the switch to EVs.

With the new Flying Spur Hybrid lifting the entry-level Panamera 4 E-Hybrid’s 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 – rather than the Bentayga Hybrid’s less powerful, single-turbo 3.0-litre – we asked Jones whether we might see Porsche’s flagship V8 motor fitted to a Bentley in the future.

“That is absolutely the path,” he said, suggesting that while the end goal is an entire range of pure-electric Bentleys, in the interim the maker is looking to offer a variety of electrified options, including other engines from the wider Volkswagen Group.

Exact specifications for the range-topping hybrid Bentley have yet to be revealed, however. While the new Flying Spur V6 uses the very same 134bhp electric motor as the Panamera, the British manufacturer has given the petrol engine a slightly different tune. Producing 536bhp, the Flying Spur sits between the cheapest Panamera 4 E-Hybrid and the faster 4S variant.

It’s therefore unclear whether Bentley may choose to boost the power of the V8 even further when fitting it to its luxury saloon. Either way, with a figure in the region of 700bhp, it’s likely the Hybrid V8 will manage 0-62mph in comfortably less than four seconds and hit almost 200mph flat out.

While the two-door Continental GT is yet to be officially revealed as a hybrid, we know that one is on the way. Like the Flying Spur, it’s expected Bentley will eventually offer the coupe with both V6 and V8 hybrid powertrains.

Bentley confirmed its Beyond 100 strategy back in 2020, stating it will offer hybrid versions of every model in the line-up by 2024, before declaring itself a pure-electric brand by the end of the decade. The maker intends to launch its first EV in 2025.

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