Bentley Continental Supersports
We know Bentley make super-luxurious cars – now they also make Supersports cars!
The combination of the names Bentley and sport may not have been heard much in the past few decades, but with the arrival of the superhot new Supersports that is set to change for good.
True, think of Bentley and sumptuously crafted luxurious cars with a rather regal bearing come to mind, yet there was a time when the name was synonymous with both quality and speed. In fact, much of the enduring fame and pedigree of Bentley is built on its legendary racing successes of the 1920s and 30s, when the solid ‘Blower Bentleys’ swept all before them and beat even the Bugattis to win the 24 hours of Le Mans in four straight years from 1927 to 1930.
The first step in the revival of this tradition came with the launch of the current Bentley Continental series back in 2003. The first sports coupé model since the original Continental in the 1960s, today’s version is a worthy successor of that legendary car – and so much more successful commercially. Now, Bentley have taken the renaissance of the brand as a sporting marque even further, with the launch of the first true Bentley sports car in many decades.
The most advanced Bentley ever
Based on the Continental, the Supersports is however a very different vehicle that offers a very different kind of experience. Yes, the hallmark qualities of comfort, luxury and handcrafted opulence still apply, albeit with a young, more aggressive bearing. Above all, however, the Supersports is Bentley’s new calling card, being easily the fastest, most powerful and most technologically advanced car ever to carry the Bentley badge.
While it retains the handsome looks and graceful styling of the Continental, the stance is unmistakably different. This car seems to growl in affirmation of its awesome power and ability, daring the driver to step on its tail and have some fun. Lighter, faster and far more agile you would imagine possible, this is a luxurious grand tourer with the drive of a super sports car. Indeed, the 2-seater version is a full 110kg lighter than the Continental Speed, featuring the fast Quickshift transmission system to propel this 630hp beauty to 100 km/h in 3,9 seconds and to top speeds of 330 km/h.
Naturally, all this power has to be matched by road-holding ability, so a wider rear track, retuned suspension, aggressive gearing and a hyper-rigid frame combine to give this Bentley the kind of agility and grip normally associated with Ferraris and Lamborghinis. The association with the Volkswagen Group (Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti etc) has obviously done this car no harm, yet a lot of work has gone into ensuring that this model too remains unmistakably Bentley.
Fast – and clean
The evolution of Bentley does not stop at the true racing abilities and technological prowess of the Supersport. Not content to produce a sports car capable of giving the fastest in the category a run for their money, Bentley’s designers have gone one step further, choosing exactly this model to introduce a brand new FlexFuel system that allows the car to run on either conventional petrol or a mix of petrol and biofuels. The engineers stress that while this reduces carbon dioxide emissions from the car by up to 70% and can enable drivers to save up to 30% in fuel costs it in no way affects either the performance or the behaviour of the car.
Using the inedible parts of plants, the system is expanding rapidly in availability in countries as diverse as Brazil, Sweden, Germany and the US, and yet Bentley defies driver’s to detect any difference in the speed, driving experience or reliability of the car when using the FlexFuel system. In reality it is one of many new innovations contained beneath the skin of this advanced new car, but for all its power, technology and raw driving ability the simple fact that it is a Bentley also means the Supersport is a superbly finished car.
Speed and comfort united
Racing creed and the comfort of a grand tourer are united in the Supersports, in which many of the classic Bentley Continental features and design elements blend beautifully with a younger, more aggressive looking interior that makes use of new materials and finishes such as carbon fibre and beluga leather interiors, ceramic brakes, a racing style instrument panel, lightweight sports seats and unpainted smoked steel wheels unique to this car.
Nothing short of revolutionary, the Bentley Continental Supersports opens not just a new chapter in the history of the renowned British make – it set a whole new challenge to the existing order of luxury sports cars.
