Car of the Day - Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible

Car of the Day - Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible

Bentley build big, - very big, sports cars. The introduction of the new Continental in xxxx took Bentley out of the doldrums that was the Rolls Royce period and firmly put them back on the map as builders of big GT's - sportscars even - cars that Woolf Barnato would be comfortable in. The latest derivative of the mighty Continental will be launched shortly at this years Geneva Auto Show. The Supersports Convertible is no less than the fastest manufacturer produced 4-seat convertible ever.With 621 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, the twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 powered monster can reach 60 mph in 3.9 seconds on the way to a top speed of 202 mph. It can do this whether you are using E85 or Premium, it doesn't matter.

Any Bentley is special, this one is more so. As the name suggests the focus is on performance and Bentley have achieved considerable improvements over the already impressive Continental performance figures through several means, not the least of which is a weight saving program. It is though pretty easy to be over indulgent and stack that weight back on via the Bentley options menu. The Supersports is 90kg (198lb) lighter than the GTC Speed, 45kg (99lb) of that comes from the lightweight, carbon fibre, front sports seats, unlike its Coupe sibling the Convertible retains its four seats. Another 20kg (44lb) comes from the carbon-ceramic brakes that are standard on the SS. These also give the added advantage of fade-free braking and a reduction in unsprung mass.A further weight saving of 10kg (22lb) comes from the 9.5Jx20-inch forged alloy 10-spoke wheels designed to also offer improved brake cooling. Again these also help reduce unsprung weight. Those wheels by the way are shod with 275/35 ZR20 Pirelli Ultra High Performance tyres.

Exterior changes include larger air intake and vertical grilles that provide 10% more volumetric air flow to the turbocharger intercoolers, plus bonnet vents to help extract hot air from engine bay. There are newly tooled side panels to accommodate the increased rear track. The "bightware" gets a new 'smoked steel finish' as well as the application of 'Physical Vapour Deposition' to stainless steel. At the rear there are new larger, twin elliptical tailpipes plus a new rear valance with a vertical divider and a fixed rear bootlid spoiler. To go with the more extrovert nature or the Supersport Bentley have added six new colours (Citric, White Satin, Kingfisher, Magenta, Orange Flame and St James Red Pearl)

Even with the focus on performance Bentley does not neglect its standard of luxury and craftsmanship and the interior displays this differently but just as well. In the case of the SS there is a satin-finish carbon fibre, Alcantara™ and 'Soft Grip' leather.

Other features that set the SS apart are new 40/60 rear-biased torque split for the all-wheel drive, giving the driver more feedback and control aking to a rear wheel drive GT. There is also a Continuous Damping Control (CDC) system, stiffer suspension bushes and uprated rear anti-roll bar. The rear track has Increased by 50mm. Very importantly the FlexFuel technology offers a reduction of up to 70 percent in CO2 emissions. The big Bentley is becoming both meaner and greener.

Rod Halligan