Front-Seat Driver
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

One of Columbia Business School’s most well-received student presentations on pricing strategies started out something like this: Imagine you’re a Westchester surgeon who’s surrounded by friends and colleagues driving big Mercedes-Benz sedans.
Those S600s are terrific cars, but you want to drive something better, something more distinctive than what all your cohorts in Scarsdale and Harrison and Katonah have in their garages. For about $50,000 more than the top-of-the-line Mercedes, you can be driving a Bentley. Hand-crafted in Crewe, England. Burled walnut dashboard. The whole nine yards.
Do you flinch at the price tag? Of course not. The additional $50,000 is less than what you’ll pay this year for the insurance up-tick thanks to those damn HMOs. Besides, the look of envy on your friends’ faces as you drive by in your Continental Flying Spur is worth every last penny.
It’s been nearly a decade since Volkswagen re-tooled Bentley into a super-luxury marque worthy of its racing heritage. They won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003 and reclaimed the aura of the 1920s Bentley Boys.
What’s followed over the last few seasons has been a very careful and extremely deliberate brand extension that went down-scale without going down-market. The Flying Spur, like its sisters, the GT coupe and GTC convertible roadster, fills an important pricing gap between the top of the mass-market cars and the bottom wrung of the specialty, super-luxury brands.
We’re talking about models priced upwards of $200,000. The Flying Spur is significantly cheaper than the indefatigable Bentley Arnage saloon, which until recently was the preferred method of transportation of pimps and—even worse—rap stars.
Bentley’s clever brand engineering has seen such unsavory types flock to the thug-friendly Rolls Royce and Caddy Escalade instead. For its part, Bentley has stirred up interest among professionals who have more than just lots of money—they have graduate degrees as well!
Part of this seismic shift in brand loyalty is because of Bentley’s positioning as a British racing and performance brand. But it’s also because of the development of the carefully priced and positioned Flying Spur, which, as a family sedan, has genuine appeal to those whose precious cargo includes golf clubs and Ivy League-educated children – NOT Jennifer Lopez and an array of semi-automatic weapons.
After some record M&A seasons, the Flying Spur has become one of the most popular models among Wall Street bankers. It’s a great way to spend some bonus money without being too conspicuous in front of the firm’s managing director.
Color plays an important role in this transformation. It is vital to note that pimps, for the most part, dislike British racing green. Instead of embodying the customization-at-any-cost appeal of past Bentleys, most Flying Spurs turn up in sobering metallic tones with soft, saddle leather interiors. These cars are at home at country clubs, not bridge-and-tunnel nightclubs. “Screw-Me Red,” therefore, is simply not a proper exterior color option.
Of course, when a car’s engine, a twin turbo V12, pumps out 560 hp and has a top speed of 195 mph, even nerdy Westchester surgeons can feel like gang bangin’ hip hop artists behind the wheel. Which is fine with the Bentley Boys of Crewe.