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(Thu 26 Feb 09) Bentley has revealed the details of the fastest and most powerful road car it has ever devised. It's a Supersports version of the Continental, whose six-litre W12 engine has been modified to produce 621bhp.
With the extra power, straightline performance has improved to the point where the Supersports has a claimed top speed of 204mph and a 0-62mph time of 3.9 seconds. What's more, this is the first Bentley capable of running either on normal petrol or on E85 (a blend of 15% petrol and 85% plant-based ethanol). As such, it's stage one in Bentley's plan to make its entire range capable of running on biofuels by 2012. The increased performance has left some visual marks on the Supersports: it has larger intakes and vents at the front to allow more air to flow into the engine and cooling system, while the rear wings have been flared to allow for a rear track 50mm wider than that of other Continentals.
There are other changes too: the six-speed ZF automatic gearbox has a Quickshift system which reduces gearchange times by half, the front suspension, ESP and Continuous Damping Control systems have all been revised, the four-wheel drive system now has a 60% power bias to the rear to help reduce understeer, the 20" alloy wheels are each 2.5kg lighter than those of the standard Continental (part of a total weight saving of 110kg throughout the car) and lightweight but extremely large carbon-ceramic brakes are fitted as standard. Inside, the trim features carbonfibre and alcantara, and there are only two seats (racing style, and of course lightweight, with carbonfibre rear panels). Where the rear seats used to be there is now a stowage deck with a luggage retaining beam.
Much of this is new to Bentley, but the name isn't. The original Bentley Supersports, an evolution of the 3-Litre Speed, was introduced back in 1925, and was the first production Bentley capable of reaching 100mph. |
