No test drives will be allowed — but the fact that the new Bentley Flying Spur is finally making its physical debut in Japan is news enough. On August 21, the sedan sets off on a tour of seven official dealerships across the country. Don't get ahead of yourself, though: this isn't a sales launch, it's a showcase. Bentley has been taking Japanese orders since June 3, and customers won't get their cars until the fourth quarter of 2026 — production starts at Crewe in September.
The biggest visual shock has already spawned its own news cycle: for the first time since 1962, a Bentley sedan has ditched paired headlamps for a single-lamp setup. The grille, taillights and boot lid have all changed too — the face is barely recognizable.
But what's really got Japan's attention is the return of the Flying Spur S. Its 4.0-liter V8 teams up with an electric motor to produce a combined 680 hp and 930 Nm, drawing on a 25.9 kWh battery. 0-100 km/h takes 3.7 seconds, top speed hits 308 km/h. The chassis brings active all-wheel drive, Bentley Dynamic Ride, rear-wheel steering and, new for the S, an electronic limited-slip differential (eLSD).
You'd think that would make it the flagship. It isn't. The 680-hp S is nowhere near the top of the range: the standard Flying Spur with the High Performance Hybrid matches it at 680 hp, while the Flying Spur Speed pulls ahead with 782 hp and 1,000 Nm. So the 'S' badge here signals a sportier chassis tune and attitude, not raw power — worth remembering before you get lost in the lineup.
The clarification comes at a good time. Back in June, most Japanese outlets led with the 680 hp figure and the single-headlamp switch without digging much deeper. Now the story shifts from technical to commercial — the car is physically reaching Japanese showrooms while customers are still waiting for their orders to arrive.
Meanwhile, Bentley is gearing up for a much bigger shift: its first-ever production electric crossover, set to join the Flying Spur, Continental GT and Bentayga as a standalone model. Against that backdrop, today's Flying Spur looks like a transitional formula for the brand — the big V8 survives, but now only as part of an electrified powertrain.
What matters most isn't the dealer tour kicking off on August 21 — it's the delivery start in Q4. That's when we'll find out which Flying Spur versions actually reach Japan's first customers, and how the local lineup shapes up.
