The Bentley Flying Spur Speed has set a new winter lap record at the world’s northernmost active race circuit.
The achievement came at Drivecentre Arena in Fällfors, northern Sweden, about 160km from the Arctic Circle. The 3.3km track, a former military airbase, was covered in about 30cm of ice and snow. The Flying Spur Speed completed laps in under three minutes, with the fastest at 2:58 — the quickest ever in winter conditions at the facility.
The car’s agility was aided by its variable four-wheel drive system and rear-wheel steering. Despite the longest straight being only 450m, it reached a peak speed of 193 km/h, powered by a hybridised 4.0l twin-turbocharged V8 producing a peak output of 575kW and 1,000Nm.
Bentley said this latest hot lap draws on its history of icy milestones, including Ice Speed Records in 2007 and 2011 and a one-hour endurance record set by a Turbo R at Millbrook Proving Ground in the UK in 1986, averaging 225km/h around the facility’s banked bowl.
The record-setting car, registration Y15 BML, was customised to reflect the Turbo R from Bentley’s Heritage Collection. It features Brooklands Green paint with yellow pinstripes and an interior in Linen, Cumbrian Green and Open Pore Walnut, marking the Turbo R’s 40th anniversary.
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