A convoy of Bentley cars was caught on camera conducting tests with little camouflage and among the fleet was a black Flying Spur test vehicle.
Our spy said that every time the convoy parked, the drivers rushed to cover the car, which looked a little suspicious. As it turned out, the car was being tested on public roads in winter conditions for a reason.
We've heard rumors about Bentley potentially working on a V8-powered plug-in hybrid version of its flagship sedan and this is likely our first sighting of the vehicle.
As you can see, there are some differences in the front fascia compared to the existing Flying Spur V6 PHEV and the exhaust pipe is also different.
But most importantly, our photographer told us that this prototype has louder engine and exhaust sounds, which leads us to believe that there could be an eight-cylinder engine under the hood.
Reportedly, Bentley will receive a plug-in version of the Porsche V8 engine currently available in the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid sedan.
This engine combines a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged engine with an electric motor to produce a peak power of 690 horsepower (515 kilowatts) and 642 pound-feet (870 Newton-meters) of torque.
If the same numbers are also available on the Flying Spur, it will make the new plug-in hybrid more powerful than the W12 version.
Speaking of the 12-cylinder engine, it's currently only available on the Flying Spur Speed as the automaker discontinues the regular model with the fuel-guzzling powertrain.
The engine produces 626 hp (467 kW) and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) of torque and accelerates the large and heavy sedan from 0 to 60 miles per hour (0-96 kilometers per hour) in just 3.7 seconds.
Top speed is around 207 mph (333 km/h). We don't expect the new PHEV model to beat those numbers, but it will deliver the same performance with zero emission driving capability and higher overall efficiency.
