Finishing the 2022 Bentley Flying Spur

Most automotive OEMs provide a palette of colors for their vehicles that is (a) sufficiently large to address what the anticipated choices of their customers will be and (b) not so extensive that it would require excessive changeovers in the paint shop.

Of course, many OEMs are running 60 jobs per hour.

Which isn’t the case at Bentley. It requires approximately 130 hours to build a Flying Spur.

In the British marque’s production facility, the Pyms Lane factory in Crewe, where it has been building vehicles since 1946, the paint operations start with corrosion-proofing the body, then applying the primer and topcoat. Because the body has curves, which means that there could be perceptible color variances, Bentley technicians hand spray each vehicle so as to provide a consistent appearance. Following the final lacquer, the body is fine sanded then polished with lamb’s wool — for 12 hours.

For the new model year 2022 Flying Spur, Bentley has added an exterior paint color, Cambrian Grey.

So this means that someone who is configuring their Flying Spur has to consider that color along with the following (although it must be admitted that the Mulliner colors are special — of course, is any color on a Bentley not special?):

• Anthracite
• Anthracite Satin by Mulliner
• Beluga
• Black Crystal
• Onyx
• Royal Ebony by Mulliner
• Spectre
• Storm Grey by Mulliner
• Titan Grey
• Black Sapphire
• Blue Crystal
• Dark Sapphire
• Fountain Blue
• Jetstream II
• Kingfisher by Mulliner
• Light Sapphire by Mulliner
• Light Windsor Blue by Mulliner
• Marlin
• Meteor
• Moroccan Blue
• Neptune
• Oxford Blue by Mulliner
• Peacock
• Portofino
• Sequin Blue
• Silverlake
• Thunder
• Windsor Blue
• Arabica
• Bentayga Bronze
• Bronze
• Brodgar
• Camel by Mulliner
• Dark Cashmere
• Havana
• Khamun by Mulliner
• Light Gazelle by Mulliner
• Orange Flame
• Pale Brodgar
• Rose Gold
• Sunburst Gold by Mulliner
• Cumbrian Green
• Midnight Emerald
• Radium by Mulliner
• Verdant
• Viridian by Mulliner
• Azure Purple
• Black Velvet
• Burgundy
• Candy Red by Mulliner
• Cricket Ball
• Claret by Mulliner
• Damson
• Dragon Red II
• Magenta
• St. James Red (Pearlescent) by Mulliner
• St. James Red (Solid)
• Breeze by Mulliner
• Cambrian Grey
• Extreme Silver
• Extreme Silver Satin by Mulliner
• Granite
• Hallmark
• Ice
• Light Grey Satin by Mulliner
• Magnetic
• Moonbeam
• Silver Frost by Mulliner
• Silver Storm by Mulliner
• Silver Tempest
• Tungsten
• Arctica by Mulliner
• Dove Grey
• Ghost White
• Glacier White
• Julep
• Magnolia
• Monaco Yellow by Mulliner
• Old English White
• Patina
• Snow Quartz
• Special Magnolia by Mulliner
• White Sand by Mulliner
• White Satin by Mulliner
• Alpine Green
• Apple Green
• Barnato
• British Racing Green 4
• Brodgar

Another finishing-related aspect to the new Flying Spur: open-pore veneer — Crown Cut Walnut, Dark Burr Walnut and Koa — are being offered.

It is being hand painted with three layers of lacquer: All three layers combined are 0.1 mm thick.

A layer of lacquer is applied, then the surface sanded. The resulting finish is described as being “wax-like,” and one that allows the tactile feel of the wood surface.

By contrast, the Bentley “High Gloss” lacquer coating, ordinarily applied to the wood trim, is 0.5 mm thick.