Bentley has officially revealed the 2017 Continental Supersports, the latest version of its luxury and performance version of its grand tourer.
Lighter and more powerful than the previous Supersports, this new version is Bentley’s most powerful production car yet. In fact, Bentley says this the world’s fastest and most powerful luxury four-seat car.
Described as "the most extreme Bentley ever" in a teaser video yesterday, this new version of the Supersports reportedly serves effectively a last hurrah for the current-generation Bentley Continental before a new version replaces it sometime in 2018.
700bhp and top speed over 200mph
Available in coupe and convertible guises, the updated Supersports uses a big W12 petrol engine like other versions of the Continental, and an eight-speed automatic gearbox is once again used. But output is increased to a whopping 700bhp, which is 79bhp more than before.
Thanks to changes like the new carbon ceramic brakes, which sheds 20kg off the car’s weight, this new Supersports is overall the lightest version of the Bentley Continental ever produced.
With this mouth-watering updates combined, the new Continental Supersports can go from zero to 62mph in just 3.5 seconds in coupe form, while the convertible version covers the same sprint in just 3.9 seconds. The top speed for the new coupe and convertible Bentleys is 209mph and 205mph respectively.
Until recently, the most extreme version of the Bentley Continental was the limited-run GT3-R edition. But Bentley aims for the new Supersports to take over this role and not only does it have an incredibly powerful engine and a relatively light build, it also borrows some of the clever driving technology used for the GT3-R.
For instance, it uses a special torque vectoring system which allows individual front and rear wheel braking while accelerating out of corners to boost the car’s performance.
The suspension is lower and stiffer than in your typical Bentley Continental, but Bentley still aim to deliver a luxurious ride with its new Supersports which won’t compromise too severely on comfort.
Diamond-quilted design for interior
Highlights of the exterior design include the redesigned bumpers, dark-tint headlights and optional rear spoiler available for the coupe version. The interior meanwhile features a new diamond-quilted design for the seats and door panels.
On sale from this April, the 2017 Bentley Continental Supersports is priced from £212,500 in coupe form or £233,800 for the convertible. This will be a limited production model, although Bentley has not yet specified just how many will get made.
