Barreling up SH 114 en route to an appointment in Southlake one recent morning, I passed other cars like they were stalled and, as a result, reached my destination far ahead of schedule. I shouldn’t have been surprised, really, since I was driving a brand-new Bentley Flying Spur V8 S—whose top speed is a head-snapping 190 mph.
An agile, four-passenger luxury sports sedan that will set you back a cool $242K, the 2017 V8 S generates 528 hp—21 more than its Flying Spur V8 sibling—and 15 more pound-feet of torque than the standard V8 Spur. This new, all-wheel-drive model also trumps its less-powerful relative with a black-tinted grille and headlamps and a pleasingly deep, “motorsports” growl.
All in all, it means the V8 S boasts a sportily sleek, menacingly masculine profile. And according to Heath Strayhan, general manager at Bentley Dallas—part of the Park Place Premier Collection and the No. 1 Bentley dealership in Texas—that’s exactly the profile many local Bentley buyers are going to prefer. Dallas-Fort Worth ranks consistently among the British automaker’s Top 10 U.S. markets, behind cities such as Beverly Hills, Calif.; Miami; and New York.
DFW Bentley buyers typically are moving up from their third or fourth high-end European sedan, Strayhan explains, and seeking something “nicer and more upscale.” With a base price of $205K—add-ons, like Beluga Gloss exterior mirrors, pushed the price of my test car to $242K—the V8 S certainly qualifies on that score.
Most North Texas buyers will custom-order their new V8 S with all the specifications they want, Strayhan says, and then wait four to five months for delivery. My Bentley, on the other hand, arrived instantly and sight-unseen, complete with the likes of a Naim audio system, 21-inch black-accented wheels, and super-comfortable, black and red leather hand-sewn seats. Delayed gratification’s way overrated, anyway.