- Bentley’s Flying Spur Speed set a 2:58 winter lap record on a fully ice-covered 3.3km circuit.
- The record run used a standard car on studded winter tyres, reaching a peak speed of 193km/h.
- Power comes from a 575kW hybrid system combining a twin-turbo V8 and electric motor.
Bentley has proven, once again, that physics is more of a suggestion than a rulebook.
The Flying Spur Speed has set a new winter lap record at the world’s most northerly active racetrack, hustling a luxury sedan across solid ice faster than anything before it.
The feat took place at Drivecenter Arena in Fällfors, northern Sweden, a former military airbase just 160km from the Arctic Circle.
With the entire 3.3km circuit buried under roughly 30cm of ice and snow, the Flying Spur Speed stopped the clocks at 2:58, the quickest winter lap ever recorded at the venue.
Luxury sedan, ice-racing credentials
Despite the conditions, the Flying Spur reached a peak speed of 193km/h, a remarkable figure given the longest straight measures just 450m and was coated in polished ice. Bentley says the car was completely standard, aside from 21-inch studded winter tyres fitted to suit the surface.
Key to the run was the car’s variable four-wheel-drive system and rear-wheel steering, which helped deliver agility and stability in equal measure. Bentley also confirmed the Electronic Stability Control was fully switched off during the record lap, placing full responsibility in the hands of the chassis hardware (and the driver).
The record run nods to Bentley’s own history, drawing inspiration from the marque’s ice speed records set in 2007 and 2011, as well as the famous Turbo R endurance record at Millbrook in 1986.
The car used, wearing Brooklands Green paint and heritage-inspired trim, was specified to mirror that Turbo R as part of its 40th anniversary tribute.
Hybrid muscle beneath the ice
Powering the Flying Spur Speed is Bentley’s Ultra Performance Hybrid system. A 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 producing 441kW is paired with a 140kW electric motor integrated into an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. In Sport mode, the system delivers a combined 575kW and 1000Nm.
In EV mode alone, the electric motor supplies enough urge for everyday driving, with up to 76km of electric-only range from the 25.9kWh battery. Bentley claims a total driving range of 829km, with full electric running possible at speeds up to 140km/h.
Chassis doing the heavy lifting
Every Flying Spur Speed comes standard with Bentley Performance Active Chassis, including Bentley Dynamic Ride, all-wheel steering and an electronically controlled limited-slip differential. A rear-biased 48.3:51.7 weight distribution helps the system work its magic, while torque vectoring across both axles maximises traction on low-grip surfaces.
It’s an extraordinary reminder that beneath the leather and lacquer, Bentley still knows how to build a car that thrives when conditions are at their worst, even when the racetrack looks more like a frozen lake than a circuit.
