Bentleys Says 97 Percent Of Flying Spur Buyers Go For Flying B

The hood ornament dates back to the 1920s and has been an important part of Bentleys.

By: Jacob Oliva

Nov 19, 2022 at 5:30am ET

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The Bentley brand is one of the oldest names in the industry. With a history that dates back to 1919, its vehicles also came with a distinctive design element found right up front – the Flying B.

The Bentley Flying B is now on its sixth iteration. Introduced in the redesigned Flying Spur in 2019, the shiny hood ornament was designed by Hoe Young Hwang, chosen unanimously from a shortlist of candidate designs by the in-house team at Crewe was created in prototype form and presented to the Board for selection.

Gallery: Sixth-Generation Of Bentley Flying B

The new Bentley Flying B came with a lot of first. It's the first to be deployed electronically, the first to feature a cover plate a la Rolls-Royce, and the first with clear, illuminated acrylic wings.

And as it turns out, 97 percent of Bentley Flying Spur buyers opt to get this option to amplify the appeal of their luxury vehicle.

The first Flying B was introduced in the mid-1920s, which was an ornate, upright brass 'B' featuring wings held horizontally. During Bentley's Derby era in the 1930s, the second smaller version was created featuring a forward-leaning single-wing 'B' in the Art Deco style. Several modified versions were offered in Bentley models until the 1970s.

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In 2006, the hood mascot was redesigned and was given a retractable mechanism upon impact. It was only in 2019 that a cover plate was introduced.

The current Flying B is made out of a single piece of 316 grade stainless steel that's capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and is resistant to corrosion. The entire process of making one takes 11 weeks from start to finish. It's then sent to WCM Europe Ltd for assembly, particularly the crystal acrylic wings, wiring, and tiny LEDs that create such a magical effect when deployed.