Five things you need to know: new Bentley Flying Spur V8 S

Bentley’s new Flying Spur V8 S has arrived as a third variant in the luxury limo line-up. It takes up the small gap between the ‘regular’, 500bhp Flying Spur V8 and the range-topping, continent-crushing Flying Spur W12 and its 616 horsepower.

This one, then, gets a slightly more powerful 521bhp twin-turbo, 4.0-litre V8. The same one used in its Conti GT V8 S stablemate, in fact. It’s a great engine in that coupe, and offers up 502lb ft of torque, to propel the Flying Spur’s considerable heft (2.4 tons) from 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds.

That’s three tenths faster than its lesser-powered sibling, while top speed sits at a heady 190mph.

By using cylinder shut down, low friction bearings, energy recuperation and clever turbo packaging, it manages to match the other V8’s 25.9mpg and 254g/km of CO2.

If of course, that is of any interest to any potential Flying Spur buyers out there.

Engage ‘S’ mode in the new Flying Spur V8, um, S, and you’ll find a sharper throttle response, and additional engine braking from the eight-speed ZF gearbox.

Oh, and in this mode, eighth gear is locked out. This power of course, is continuously sent to all four wheels, the V8 S deploying a 40:60 rear-biased torque split.

Bentley has recalibrated the ‘CDC’ system – which stands for continuous damping control – for better handling and ride comfort, along with a retuned stability control system.

The latter allows more wheel slip at higher speeds, and engages the engine’s prodigious torque quicker after an ‘intervention’. Yup, Bentley has referred to an ESC event as an ‘intervention’. Brilliant.

You can option carbon ceramic brakes if you want. We suspect many of you probably will.

There’s a new black grille, a gloss rear diffuser, lots of V8 S badging, 20in open-spoke painted wheels, and the option to specify many more dark styling elements. Tinted lights, bigger wheels, that sort of thing.

Inside, there is piano-black wood veneer, a knurled gear lever and shift paddles, and two-tone seats.

Price? Not confirmed, but it’ll sit between the £142k regular V8, and the £153k W12 saloon. Before you've started with the fancy paint and wheel options...