Flying Spur

Make
Bentley
Segment
Sedan

Despite featuring prominently for decades, few modern luxury cars come with hood ornaments. Rolls-Royce is the obvious exception with its Spirit of Ecstacy but Bentley's 'Flying B' mascot has also been used on numerous models, though not to the same level of ubiquity as the Flying Lady. The Flying B first adorned a Bentley car more than 90 years and on the brand's 100th anniversary, the ornament will make its return with a new design.

This will be the first time the modern-day Bentley Flying Spur will be available with the Flying B emblem after previously being available with the flat winged badge only. Like any modern Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstacy, the Flying B on the Flying Spur will be retractable into the body, keeping it safe while the car is parked up. It is also illuminated to provide some extra flare.

The original Flying B was designed by Charles Sykes, who wanted the ornament to look the same from both sides of the car. It originally appeared (as an option) in the early 1930s on an 8 Liter model and was so unpopular at first, Bentley almost considered scrapping the design. Who would want some Flying B emblem when the original flat, winged B badge was commissioned by W.O. Bentley himself in 1919?

Over the past 100 years, Bentley's signature flat winged badge has changed numerous times - it was originally red, then green, then blue, and now black. One detail has stayed the same though. The badge may look symmetrical but the two wings feature a different number of feathers on each side, making it more difficult to copy.

The 2020 Flying Spur will be available to order starting in the fall, powered by a 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 producing 626 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque.