The 25th year of the third millennium marked the anniversary of three significant models in Bentley’s history: the 1965 T Series, 1985 Turbo R, and 2005 Continental Flying Spur.
Respectively celebrating their 60th, 40th, and 20th anniversaries, each of these models played a key role in defining the Bentley four-door sedan, creating an unbroken evolutionary line leading to today’s Flying Spur.
The three originals are part of the 50-car Bentley Heritage Collection, all of which are kept in fully running condition with every car kept on-site at the Bentley campus in Crewe, England.
1965: Bentley T Series
The T-Series was launched at the Paris Motor Show on 5 October 1965. It was the first Bentley to use a unitary construction monocoque in place of the separate chassis and coachwork of its predecessors. Designed by John Blatchley, the T Series looked strikingly modern and while lower, narrower and shorter than the preceding model, it offered more internal space for driver and passenger.
Its 6.2-litre V8 engine developed 202PS (149kW), wafting the four-door from standstill to 62mph in just over 10 seconds, with a top speed of 112mph. Elsewhere, the T Series boasted innovations such as Vibrashock bushes and hydraulic ride height control.
The example in the Bentley Heritage Collection was the first ever production T Series, VIN 0001, and has recently been restored to its original Shell Grey exterior finish with a blue leather and Burr Walnut interior.
1985: Bentley Turbo R
It’s hard to overstate the impact the Turbo R made on its debut in 1985. With a Garrett AiResearch T04 turbocharger boosting the power of the 6¾-litre V8 to 298bhp (222kW), the Turbo R boasted acceleration to match contemporary supercars yet offered sumptuous comfort and space for up to five occupants.
Maximum speed was 135mph, while the 0-62mph time was just 7.0 seconds. Just as significant, a 50% increase in roll stiffness compared with the previous model transformed the Turbo R’s handling. Soon after launch, a nine-month waiting list marked Bentley’s renaissance as a high-performance marque, with 4111 examples finding owners during a nine-year production run.
The Turbo R in the Heritage Collection is a 1991 model in Brooklands Green with a yellow coachline, while the interior is trimmed in Magnolia hide with Spruce piping and Burr Walnut veneer.
2005: Bentley Continental Flying Spur W12
The first four-door model of the Volkswagen AG era was launched in 2005, just two years after the game-changing Continental GT. The name revived that of a classic Bentley design, the Mulliner-built 1958 four-door S1 Continental Flying Spur.
The new model offered similar levels of performance to its Continental GT stablemate, combining a 6.0-litre W12 engine and all-wheel drive powertrain with a spacious, four-door body. With maximum power of 558PS (410kW) and an exceptionally low drag coefficient of 0.31Cd, the Continental Flying Spur exceeded 200mph in testing, though the company conservatively claimed a top speed of 195mph.
The Bentley Heritage Collection possesses the first production Continental Flying Spur to leave the Crewe production lines in May 2005, a right-hand drive model in Cypress Green with the chassis number VIN 20001. Saddle is the main hide colour for the interior with Cognac as a secondary hide, and the veneer is Burr Walnut. The car has only recently been road-registered and activated, as demonstrated by the odometer’s 500-mile reading.
Bentley reveals three new 2025 Flying Spur models to mark these anniversaries
To mark this occasion, Mulliner, the bespoke division of Bentley, has created three 2025 Flying Spurs which each echo the spirit and visual impact of its corresponding model. Each of the new cars mirrors its inspirational forebear’s ethos, colour and trim, updating the aesthetic for 2025.
T Series tribute: Flying Spur Azure
With its 680PS (500kW) High-Performance Hybrid powertrain, the 2025 Flying Spur Azure’s performance puts it leagues ahead of its ancestor. Yet it shares the elegance, refinement and focus on driver and passenger wellbeing of its the original.
Visually, the Mulliner Flying Spur Azure’s Shell Grey exterior finish echoes that of its ancestor, with the same finish on the 22-inch six tri-spoke wheels, after the original 1965 colour was remastered by Bentley’s Paint Shop. The chrome vertical vanes of the Azure range echo those of the T Series, and lead to bright chrome work along the length of the car as per the original.
The interior’s blue-grey main hide – colour-matched to the original T Series interior by Mulliner – is complemented by Beluga secondary hide, while the Burr Walnut fascia, console, door panels and picnic tables are edged with meticulously crafted cross-banding.
Turbo R tribute: Flying Spur Speed
40 years on from the Turbo R, Bentley’s Flying Spur Speed continues the tradition of supercar performance allied to exceptional luxury. Its Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain is capable of serene, silent progress in pure EV mode for up to 47 miles (76km), while the combined 782 PS (575kW) of Bentley V8 and e-motor delivers sensational performance, passing the 0-60 mph benchmark in just 3.3 seconds (0-100km/h in 3.5 secs).
Mulliner’s tribute to the Heritage Collection’s Turbo R is finished in Brooklands Green – again remastered from the Heritage Collection car – with a Monaco Yellow painted coachline. The 22-inch swept spoke wheels are finished in Grey with bright machined facings and feature self-levelling wheel badges. The Flying B radiator mascot is finished in bright polished stainless steel and comes alive after dark thanks to its subtle illumination.
Inside, the Mulliner Flying Spur Speed pays homage to the Turbo R interior, combining Linen as the main hide with Cumbrian Green as a contrasting secondary colour. The fascia develops the theme with a duo tone Open Pore Dark Burr Walnut over Cumbrian Green Piano veneer, the two elements separated by a chrome pinstripe.
Flying Spur tribute: Mulliner Flying Spur Speed
Mulliner’s homage captures the spirit of the first-ever Flying Spur while updating it for 2025, with Cypress exterior paint and 22-inch ten-spoke sports wheels in Dark Grey Satin. A painted pinstripe in Saddle adorns the lower edges of the carbon fibre front spoiler and sills.
The interior showcases Mulliner’s bespoke craftsmanship, with Saddle secondary hide colour complementing a main hide colour in Special Green that unites the exterior and interior colour schemes. This unique green, created by Mulliner for this tribute model, is also used as contrast shade on the upholstery’s diamond quilting, embroidered Bentley emblems, the steering wheel’s six o’clock tab and Mulliner overmats. Of special note is the dual finish fascia, with Open Pore Dark Burr Walnut separated from gloss Burr Walnut by a pinstripe in Cypress Green.
