This Depreciated Bentley Might Be The Cheapest 200 MPH Car

When you were a kid, did you ever dream of owning a car that could do 200 mph? It’s still a near-mythical figure, achieved by some of the poster cars on our bedroom walls like the Lamborghini Diablo, but largely considered out of reach for mortals like us, at least in something that wasn’t heavily modified. However, a funny thing’s happened over the past 35 years or so — not only has the number of cars capable of 200 mph ballooned, depreciation has brought pricing on some of them closer to Earth.

So what’s the most affordable 200 mph car? Well, a Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG and a V10-powered BMW M5 with the SMG automated manual gearbox will allegedly both hit 200 mph if their top speed limiters are removed, but for the purpose of this exercise, let’s stick with stock. What does that leave us with, a Dodge Charger Hellcat? Perhaps, although there is one car I can think of that’s now even cheaper than a Charger Hellcat, yet still has an official top speed of 200 mph. I’m talking about the 2008 Bentley Flying Spur Speed.

Let’s cast our minds back to the turn of the millennium, when Volkswagen bought Bentley, separating the brand from Rolls-Royce for the first time since 1931. At the same time, BMW bought the rights to the Rolls-Royce passenger car name and Spirit of Ecstasy, resulting in a bit of a row, a settlement, and Volkswagen hastily re-engineering the Arnage to accept the Bentley 6.75-liter V8.

However, Bentley also needed a new model beneath the Arnage, and Volkswagen had quite the plan: Take the enormously heavy, enormously complex Volkswagen Phaeton W12, drape it in new coachwork and several acres of cows, and then modify the engine with, among other things, two turbochargers. The result was a 552-horsepower cruise missile, available as a Continental GT Coupe or a Continental Flying Spur sedan. However, this only resulted in a top speed of between 195 and 197.6. mph, and that simply isn’t enough. Thankfully, 2008 happened.

Wait, I don’t mean it like that. When I say 2008 happened, I mean that while Lehman Brothers was going bust and Detroit’s big three were preparing to invert their empty wallets in front of Congress, Bentley was preparing a four-door weapon to surpass Metal Gear. We’re talking about a Continental with 50 more horsepower and 74 more lb.-ft. of. torque than the standard one, tweaked suspension, sharper steering, available carbon ceramic brakes, and a top speed of 200 mph. It’s called the Flying Spur Speed, and as far as literal trim levels go, this is one of the best.

Oh, and there’s more to the performance of the Flying Spur Speed than just its VMax. When Car And Driver tested a 2009 model, it ran from zero-to-60 mph in 4.2 seconds, pulled 0.89 g on the skidpad, and stopped from 70 mph in a shorter distance than a Lamborghini Murcielago. At the same time, it was still a proper Bentley, meaning all that speed came with serious isolation. As the magazine wrote:

When you punch the throttle, the result feels a bit like riding a skyscraper shot out of an artillery piece, with max torque coming at a low 1750 rpm. The sounds you hear are dominated by intake whoosh and a determined, locomotive groan from the engine room. But, disappointingly, the exhaust is overwhelmed by wind noise with the windows down and simply eliminated with the double-paned glass up. On throttle lift, you can detect a pleasing woofle from the back, but it seems that only bystanders are destined to hear the W-12’s exhaust note. Gotta toss the proles a cookie sometimes.

That test car carried a price tag of $236,665, but thanks to the miracle of depreciation, you won’t have to pay anywhere near that much for a Flying Spur Speed of your own.

Just take a look at this 2010 Flying Spur Speed up for sale in Arizona for $29,500. That’s not a typo, nor is this particular Bentley a rebuilt wreck. In fact, it has a clean Carfax, but it does sport a whopping 111,297 miles. On the plus side, the Carfax does report partial service history including time spent at Bentley dealers under even the latest previous owner, which means it’s probably been looked after decently.

Here’s another one, a 2010 Flying Spur Speed with a far more reasonable 61,367 miles on the clock up for sale at a BMW dealership in California. The price tag? A still cheap $29,999. With a clean Carfax, a light interior, and gleaming brightwork, it still looks the business.

Fancy giving one of those digital car auctions a go? This 2011 Continental Flying Spur Speed sold on Bring A Trailer last year for $32,855. Sure, it might’ve had 79,000 miles on the clock, but it also had a clean Carfax and a rather tasty coffee over caramel color scheme.

Now, there is a caveat here. Any cheap Bentley will go wrong, often in a horrifyingly expensive manner. We’re dealing with a twin-turbocharged W12 and air suspension in a car that originally came with a house-like price tag, not to mention complex body electronics for the 2000s. Sure, the Flying Spur reportedly fixed the pre-2008 Continental GT vacuum hose routing that required engine removal if a leak in the line above the transmission happened, but repair bills could eat the shirt right off your back.

Still, if you’re handy with a toolset and willing to pay for expensive parts, a cheap Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed could be your cheapest way into the 200 mph club without having to flash a tune. Will you ever use that top speed? Likely not, but knowing it’s there certainly satisfies teenage aspirations.

Top graphic images: Bring A Trailer; depositphotos.com

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