Touring Superleggera Bentley Continental Flying Star - AllCarIndex

The origins of the Bentley Continental Flying Star by Touring

It takes an avid and passionate collector, with a taste for special coach building, to be at the basis of a project like the Bentley Continental Flying Star by Touring. Exactly such a person contacted Touring Superleggera in early 2008.

An interesting initial creative process emerged involving parameters for design, proportions, vehicle concepts and - last but not least- feasibility and technical factors.

Many steps from design to execution were shared with the customer, who contributed with his own ideas and taste to personalise the project and create a unique automobile.

A basic idea was formed by the desire to diversify Bentley's very successful Continental model range, and to explore new concepts.

The transformation of a 2-door coupé, by expanding the roof line and enlarging the interior dimensions, has led to a design concept baptised as shooting brake: a sports car featuring enough space to join a hunting party or a golf tournament with elegance and efficiency. Touring Superleggera explored the same field back in 1966, resulting in the amazing Lamborghini Flying Star II prototype. It was a dramatic interpretation of a sports car based on a new 2-volume design, safeguarding the dynamic performance. The Flying Star reference is a Touring parameter of sportive elegance, applied to many famous cars since the companies' start in 1926.

Flying Star in 2010 - the Bentley challenge

The Bentley Continental GT range set innovative and high standards for a new generation of very sophisticated Grand Tourers. As such, this model triggered the imagination of automotive designers and coach builders elsewhere. The GTC convertible, featuring a very rigid platform, proved to be a fully congruent basis to Touring Superleggera’s plans for the new Flying Star.

The new project required the modification of a number of external dimensions starting from thecar’s A-pillar backwards: extended roof line, a wider section including the doors, new aluminiumdoor skins and a new all-aluminium, electrically operated tailgate. It also includes a completelynew rear compartment with two foldable rear seats and a variable loading space.

This long list of modifications and transformations had to be paired with, and to remain fullycompatible to the basic car's technical layout and components. Given the sophistication of thebasic car, a new challenge was laid out for Touring’s craftsmen and engineers. The final resultproves that special coach building can live on well into the 21st. century working with respectto the original manufacturers.

Touring Superleggera is particularly proud of the fact that the complete productive cycle of thespecial coach building process was realized in their workshop near Milano. Modern body engineeringwent hand in hand with traditional handicraft skills, maintaining the highest quality directivesfor the final product.

Project Engineering

The body engineering processes at Carrozzeria Touring are aimed at safeguarding key parametersfor quality, safety and feasibility, within the perspectives of low-volume automotive production.The project went through 1:4 and 1:1 modelling, based on the CAD and CATIA datafrom the basic vehicle. This digital basis resulted in a milled 1:1 master model and a number of1:1 moulds for the manufacturing of the new external skin, and for important new body components.The rear bodywork was reinforced with an integrated structure between the rear suspensiondomes, functioning both as roll bar, and as support for the new, extended roofline.All structural additions and modifications were thoroughly studied, using advanced simulationmethods and FEM-analysis. As a parallel process, these data served for the homologation ofthe structural changes, including the new foldable rear seats. An important number of hardpoints from the basic car could be saved and carried-over. The engineering team at CarrozzeriaTouring was particularly pleased with the quality assurance support from Bentley engineers.

Design

‘Variations on a theme’ not rarely implicate a larger design challenge, than starting-off with awhite sheet of paper. The basic mission was to create a body incorporating the essence ofTouring elegance and harmony, while clearly recognizable as a Bentley. This task was challengingbecause a fully new volume had to be added to the GTC basis. The proportions weretotally new, but the overall design had to be kept consistent. That is why only the section in frontof the car’s A-pillar, including the windshield has been maintained.

Viewed from the rear, the new tailgate dives between the wide rear wings. The oval rear light chromebezels are a reference to Bentley fastback cars of the ‘50. The side view features a low roof, prominentquarter panel shoulders and wide wheel arches, suggesting perfectly mastered energy.The Touring Superleggera designers were challenged by the target to give the new interiorequal elegance, whether the back of the rear seats are folded or not. The solution was to designan “S” shaped trim of the rear quarter panels linking the passenger area to the rear luggagearea. The beige and dark green leather contrast also adds to this visual unity.

First time ever in this class and size, the twin individual rear seats fold completely to create aflat loading surface more than 2m long with 1200lt capacity. This is instrumental to fulfill thefunctional mission profile, which requires loading in full comfort a wide array of leisure equipment,including 4 full golfing bags with the rear seats up. An example of bespoke finish is thewoven leather boot carpet offering superior endurance and coordinated with the special luggageset.

The overall result is perfectly in line with the Touring and Flying Star heritage: a timeless shape,a design statement combining elegance and sportiveness, with a strong and unmistakable ownpersonality and individuality.

Manufacturing

When digital technologies are blended with traditional manufacturing skills, a fascinatingprocess emerges that is typical for Touring Superleggera. A discriminating factor for traditionalcoach building was and is the vast amount of handwork that is involved in the creation of a newbody. In this process, multiple practical solutions are also found for a wide variety of minor technicalissues. This includes quick, practical solutions based on years-long experience, commonsense and an expert eye.

The result is a final product entirely produced within the high quality parameters of today’s

automotive industry.

From the A-pillar backwards, new exterior body panels were hand shaped in steel - including the roof, new wider rear wings, and the internal reinforcements of the complete rear section of the car. Aluminium was used for the door skins, and for the complete rear bonnet including its structure. New, handmade brightwork was added according to the new exterior design.

The all new rear compartment required shaping of the foldable rear seats and a full set of interior panels, leather trimmed with meticulous care. Wide leather hides were selected with great attention to provide uniform finish to the vast continuous surfaces.

After inspection, the body in white was prepared and painted in the Touring state-of-the-art paint facilities. The final result underwent again a special final quality audit.

Performance

The Bentley Continental Flying Star by Touring inherits the chassis of the Continental GTC. The 6-liter, W12 engine is available either in the 560HP version which delivers 650NM of torque at 1600rpm or the GTC Speed variant which delivers a massive 750Nm from 610HP. The car exhibited in Geneva Motor Show features the GCT Speed specifications.

Performance braking, cornering and traction functions mesh together to provide precise and immediate driving control under extreme or difficult conditions.

 Self-adjusting air springs and electronic dampers operate independently for each wheel. Allwheel drive promotes advanced traction.

Homologation

The model is CEE homologated according to the new low-volume production directive. For the first time since its introduction, the type approval was awarded without destructive test, using simulation and FEM-analysis.