LUXURY saloons have just taken a turn for the quicker with the unveiling of Bentley's new Continental Flying Spur.

The latest chapter in the history of the famous British badge - owned since 1998 by Volkswagen - is being written by the 2009 version of what is the world's fastest saloon car.

The Flying Spur four-door saloon is so popular that Bentley has added a Speed model, continuing the tradition of legendary Speed models that first appeared in 1923.

The Continental Flying Spur made its debut in 2005 and has proved a huge success for the Crewe-based manufacturer.

It has revitalised the marque, making Bentley one of the most sought-after cars among the world's celebrities, which in itself has helped raise the firm's profile to an even higher plane.

Now, the class-leading, £117,500, 12-cylinder luxury saloon, whose 6.0-litre twin-turbo engine generates 552 horsepower, will also be joined by the 600 horsepower Flying Spur Speed, the most powerful four-door car ever produced by Bentley.

The Speed can reach 200mph, and do the 0 to 60mph sprint in just 4.5 seconds - it is a premium car with a real punch, and a thirst to match, doing about 17mpg overall.

The all-wheel drive Continental Flying Spur uses a six-speed automatic transmission. This is an ideal partnership for the radar-based cruise control, which monitors traffic ahead, manages the throttle, and brakes to maintain a pre-set time gap, up to a driver-selected set speed limit. An aluminium-intensive suspension set-up features revised spring and dampers, and new bespoke 19-inch Pirelli UHP tyres for outstanding ride quality.

The Speed model gets 20-inch 9.5J wheels, with unique 20-inch multi-spoke alloys.

The latest Flying Spur versions do get styling changes - you will have to stare hard to spot them - and improved refinement and comfort levels.

There are subtle changes to the big car's front and rear design - there is a new, more upright grille and a bolder, lower air intake to accentuate the saloon's distinctive profile, while the new rear bumper that gives the Flying Spur a more aggressive appearance.

To keep the mighty power unit's noise levels muffled, there is acoustic glazing, tri-laminate body under-trays, and wheel-arch liners to keep cabin refinement at its current best-in-class levels.

If more noise inside is preferred, then how about this - Naim, a renowned British hi-fi maker, has fitted an 1,100 Watt amplifier, the most powerful unit offered in a production car, with 15 custom-built speakers, including dual sub-woofers.

That makes for one of the world's best in-car sound systems, and a next-generation digital signal processor further enhances the theatre-like audio experience.

Bentley's commitment to quality of craftsmanship and customer personalisation is underscored with a greater cabin choice of beautifully crafted wood marquetry and chrome inlays.

Seat piping, a traditional Bentley feature, is now available on the 2009 Flying Spur, together with two new hide colours. Three new colours and four duo-tone paint combinations are also added to the body colour choices.