Bentley just revealed the refreshed Flying Spur, the latest version of the ultra-luxury sedan that costs at least a quarter-million just to get in the door. In addition to now offering a $34,000 Naim sound system, Bentley also brought back the Flying Spur S that more or less gives you the same powertrain and handling upgrades found in the Continental GT S, only with two more doors. The biggest news, though, is that the four-door technically-no-longer-a-Continental now gets the two-door Continental single-unit headlights. Scandalous!
If you aren’t a 94-year-old British man with rickets, you may not be too mad about the new headlights. The new Continental GT looks good, and so does the new Flying Spur. You and I both agree there. Were I to complain about anything Bentley did with that new front end, I’d focus on the sensor placement in the grille and the how out of place the hood ornament looks on an otherwise modern sedan. For the Bentley faithful, however, abandoning quad headlights brings an end to a 64-year tradition. The Flying Spur’s signature design element is gone.
Kill ’em all
You know what? Good. I don’t care what someone did 50 or even 100 years ago, especially if that signature element doesn’t fit with the rest of a modern car’s design. Sure, working with constraints can definitely make design better when it forces the team to think more creatively. But there are already so many other constraints on modern vehicle design, I’d much rather see designers free to add historical touches only when it makes sense. Especially if we’re talking about fake grilles on cars without engines.
Considering how many people are still mad that mounting infotainment screens higher on the dash makes them easier to view and use, I doubt everyone here’s in full agreement with me there. But surely there’s at least one automaker out there with a signature design element you’d love to never see again. If you could somehow force any automaker to abandon its signature design element, which one would it be, and why? Whatever your answer is, let us know down in the comments.
