This is the fastest four-door model ever produced by the Crewe-based manufacturer, with a whopping 782bhp that hauls it to 62mph in 3.3 seconds and up to 177mph at the top end, with the e-motor filling in for the turbo lag. That’s not outrageous for a high-end supercar, but to do it in the extreme comfort and luxury of a 2.7-tonne Bentley is extraordinary.

So here we have the 2026 Speed model as a nod to those heady days, but they have not faded into the distant past; in 2023, Bentley returned to Le Mans and repeated this impressive feat, with a win and the fastest lap. In the city of Le Mans, a street has been named in their honour - Rue des Bentley Boys - no greater accolade in the toughest of all motor races.

The Flying Spur on my driveway is substantially a new car. Brand-new is the hugely powerful V8 hybrid drivetrain, the electrical architecture, and the suspension, which has been recalibrated with new dampers. Those things are shared with its sister cars, the Mk4 Continental GT and GTC.

Of course, the Spur is essentially designed for the owner in the back, sitting in luxury whilst the chauffeur wafts you to your destination with the old nose heavy W12 but with that huge monster engine gone, most of the chauffeuring duties have switched to the Bentayga and l for one, would not allow my driver to have all the fun and would make him redundant.

This new model gets a 600 bhp V8 and a 190 bhp electric motor, driving through the eight-speed DCT transmission, for a very healthy 782 bhp. It is a truly brilliant powertrain, and the sensual roar of the V8 is visceral in the extreme; you can also cruise in utter silence for 47 miles in electric mode, which, for such a car, feels surreal indeed.

The chassis features four-wheel steering and an optional 48-volt electric system that manages an active anti-roll bar. The four-wheel-drive system is more rear-biased, and the gearbox is an eight-speed with twin clutches. An e-diff sits between the rear driveshafts for a measure of torque vectoring. The grip, poise and security are unimpeachable. The balance is terrific: stable on turn-in, little understeer, and with a mild dose of rear-drive sensibility on the way out of a bend.

Inside, the interior furniture is magnificent, with everything beautifully wrapped in luxurious leather and handcrafted veneers, and your feet buried in deep-pile carpets. There are some toys to fiddle with; some are extras, such as mood lighting, fridge, rear-seat entertainment, and the massive Naim stereo; others are standard, such as 14-way electric, heated and cooled, massage chairs all round, detachable touchscreen remote control, and more.

The detachable remote control is great if the ‘boss’ in the back wants control of the sounds, but don’t let your kids know it’s there, or, like me, you will end up with your serene drive being disrupted by the latest crap they call music. I eventually got very tired of this, removed the batteries and claimed it was broken. Sorry, Bentley, but enough is enough.

The craftsmanship of the team in Crewe cannot be overstated – everything is solid, bolted tight and with some of the very best materials available, they have done a supreme job of making you feel well, just very special.

I covered 740 miles in it, which is long enough to get a real feel for the car and its wonderful that the first inch or so of the accelerator travel allows a very smooth ‘waft’ and you wonder what all the fuss is about. But of course, under your right foot sits a volcano just biding its time.

Switch from Comfort or EV mode to Sport, and the exhaust truly announces itself with a burbling snarl, letting you know it’s on duty and ready to go. Well, it would be rude not to, so I then buried my foot into the Axminster and was instantly thrown back into the seat as the foliage on each side of the car went into a type of hyperdrive, blurring into a constant stream of green as the miles vanished.

There’s no hanging on for dear life, just an acute awareness that, whilst cosseted in the world’s finest leather, twice the legal speed limit was coming up fast with no indication it was running out of steam. Apart from the roar, there was no indication in the cabin either - just serene calm.

The complex system of electricity, clutches, gears and turbos all act in terrific harmony. So this is a powertrain brilliant for urban pottering, mountain-pass blasting, motorway cruising and everything in between.

The rest of the Flying Spur’s driving experience is downright impressive, and the 48-volt electrics and new, improved adaptive dampers are the making of it. The active anti-roll technology works more naturally here than in any other car I’ve tried it in – permitting soft springs without the penalty of excessive body roll – and, combined with the four-wheel steering, it helps the car feel lighter, more agile and more manageable than anything nudging 2,700kg has any right to.

For a two-door, then the Continental GT is as superb, but if the four-door version is what you want, there are very few cars that will beat the Flying Spur.