The Bentley Flying Mile Record is a bit of an epic area for fans of the brand. Now a more modern member of the family holds the title, and it only took roughly 88 years for this change of command to occur! The Bentley Continental GT Speed has taken the record from the Napier-Campbell Blue Bird.

Sir Malcom Campbell set the Bentley Flying Mile record back in 1927 when he white-knuckled the modified Blue Bird to up to the speed of 174.8 miles per hour. Even by today’s standards, the sheer speed of that U.K. land speed record can be understood and appreciated. Creatures like the Hennessey Venom GT, Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, Ultimate Aero and others can easily approach the 300-mile per hour sector, which is precisely how the former record felt back in its generation.

The new record was set with actor idris Elba behind the wheel of the Bentley Continental GT Speed when it topped out at 180.361 miles per hour. The notoriety of an actor was far from a necessity at the event in Pendine Sands in Wales, though it did assist in generating further glee. The event was captured as a part of the Discovery Channel’s series titled: “Idris Elba: No Limits”, to air over the summer.

The Bentley is not exactly synonymous with speed, as they tend to be a touch on the heavier side and favor creature comforts over serious track aggression. That has not slowed the evolution of the Bentley, and they continue to prove that it is possible to possess both looks and prowess. A fine example of this is the Bentley Continental SuperSports convertible that reached speeds exceeding 205 miles per hour on ice when driven by Juha Kankkunen.

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