Flying Spur

Make
Bentley
Segment
Sedan

With the unfortunate axing of the Bentley Mulsanne, the Flying Spur has some big shoes to fill as the brand's only sedan offering. But Bentley doesn't want you to shed a single tear: the Flying Spur, which is built on an all-new platform is ready to take on the ultra-luxury market in style, and in recent months has been made even more luxurious thanks to the addition of features such as electrically-deployable, veneered tables rear passengers, as well as three new exterior paint options, new wheel finishes, and cross-stitching and semi-aniline leather on the seats. This all sounds very over the top, but there's nothing Bentley won't offer its clients, and with that in mind, let us introduce you to one of Bentley's latest luxury gimmicks: the world's first three-dimensional wood panels.

The three-dimensional wood door inserts will be available for the first time in the all-new Flying Spur, and each panel will be handcrafted from a single block of sustainable American Walnut or American Cherry timber.

In a first for the automotive industry, Bentley's 3D wood design, featuring a striking diamond design "brings tactility to the natural beauty of wood." These panels are not made using usual veneers but are created from a single block of timber. To form the three-dimensional surface, skilled carpenters carve the wood by using a multi-axis routing machine to a tolerance of 0.1mm. That is less than the thickness of a human hair. To protect these works of art, an open-pore lacquer is applied which allows the true color and texture of the wood to come shining through.

"Three-Dimensional Wood is the next interior design element we've taken from concept car idea to production reality. It works in perfect harmony with the three-dimensional leather quilting across the cabin of the Flying Spur," says Bentley's head of interior design for the Flying Spur, Brett Boydell.

To perfectly match the rest of the interior, the back of the wood block is machined to fit the die-cast aluminum door panel template. The wood pieces are then bonded to the template before assembly, and from there goes through the three-dimensional carving process. "The principle of milling a geometric three-dimensional diamond form into solid wood was so well received at Geneva, it confirmed the value in translating the concept into reality for the customers of Bentley's all-new Flying Spur," Boydell continues.

The American Walnut and American Cherry timber used in the Flying Spur are sustainably sourced from North American hardwood forests, are hand chosen, and contain no knots or resin inclusions. American Walnut is one of the most desirable species for this type of application and is darker than European walnut, varying in color from rich red to reddish brown.