While it is true that the 2021 Bentley Flying Spur is available with a W12 engine—that’s right, a 12-cylinder engine, which requires a “W” configuration in order to fit under the hood, or perhaps that is better put “bonnet”—there is also the V8 version. While the former has a price tag on the order of $220K and the latter closer to $200K, the V8 is probably more realistic—but let’s face it, what is the likelihood of that ever making its way to your driveway?

That said, here are some things of interest about the 4.0-liter V8:

• It produces 542 bhp
• That means it develops more than 135 bhp per liter
• It propels the vehicle to a top speed of 198 mph
• It has twin scroll turbochargers that are located inside the V of the block that can operate at 176,000 rpm and produce up to 1.6 bar of boost pressure. The turbines operate at up to 950°C, or hotter than a burning log in a fireplace
• The 0 to 60 mph time is 4.0 seconds
• There are two high-pressure fuel pumps to feed eight solenoid-driven injectors. The pressure is delivered at up to 250 bar, which, according to Bentley, is 14x the pressure “required to move a 60 tonne steam locomotive.” Huh?
• The cylinder bores are coated with a iron-alloy coating that is 150 microns thick (or about 2x the diameter of a human hair)
• The pistons move at up to 20 meters per second
• Depending on demand, four cylinders can be shut down in approximately 20 milliseconds, or a tenth of the time it takes to blink

Odds are you’ll never use this information. Odds are you’ll never drive a Flying Spur either.

But there are chances.