The Bentley Flying Spur Speed has set a new winter lap record at the world’s northernmost active race circuit.
The achievement took place 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 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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