New Bentley Continental Supersports

With 700 BHP, The New Bentley Continental Supersports Becomes The World’s Fastest Four-Seat Car

Bentley has announced its fastest and most powerful production model to date: the new Bentley Continental Supersports.

A top speed of 209 mph (336 km/h) and a 0-60 mph time of 3.4 seconds (0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds) make the new Continental Supersports the world’s fastest and most powerful luxury four-seat car.

Similarly, its soft-top sibling, the Continental Supersports Convertible, is the fastest four-seat convertible in the world, despatching the sprint to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds (0-100 km/h in 3.9 secs) on its way to a 205 mph (330 km/h) top speed.

Bentley’s W12 engine has been redeveloped for the Supersports with new high-performance turbochargers and engine hardware, while a new torque vectoring system claims to have sharpened the dynamics.

To differentiate the most powerful and fastest Bentley till date from its ‘regular’ siblings, the new Supersports comes with unique styling cues inside and out.

Wolfgang Dürheimer, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, said: “The Supersports name is legendary at Bentley. From the very first Supersports of the 1920s, to the Continental Supersports of 2009 – and now with the third iteration of this iconic model – it is a name which excites, impassions and thrills. Only Bentley could create a car which blends immense performance and unrivalled luxury in this way.”

New Bentley Continental Supersports Engine

Key to the Supersports’ additional outputs are newly designed, higher-capacity turbochargers and a revised charge-air cooling system which create more boost and additional power.

In order to harness these additional outputs, upgrades have also been made to the Continental’s crank train, including new main and conrod bearings.

These engine revisions result in an increase of 80 PS (79 bhp) and 217 Nm (160 lb.ft.) over the 2009 Supersports model – a 10 percent power-to-weight and 25 percent torque-to-weight ratio improvement.  The top speed rises by five miles per hour (and the 0-60 mph time drops by 0.3 seconds).

The Supersports also benefits from a new torque converter which locks up faster allowing the car to make best use of the enhanced torque figure of 1,017 Nm (750 lb. ft.).

New Bentley Continental Supersports Brakes

The new Supersports is fitted with high-performance carbon ceramic brakes with enhanced cooling. The brake discs are the largest of their type in the world, claimed to provide “excellent performance with minimal fade under extreme conditions”.

New Bentley Continental Supersports Wheels

The new Supersports comes equipped with lightweight 21” forged alloy wheels, together offering a 20 kg weight saving in unsprung mass.

New Bentley Continental Supersports Exhaust

A further 5 kg weight-saving is offered via an optional titanium exhaust system. Bentley says that the exhaust system has been redesigned to breathe more freely and provide an “unmistakable Bentley soundtrack, with down-shifts eliciting a rifle-fire crackle”.

The new Supersports is the lightest-ever iteration of the current Continental GT and lighter than the 2009 four-seat Supersports model.

New Bentley Continental Supersports Torque Vectoring

The new Supersports has a specifically calibrated and updated version of the torque vectoring system first introduced on the Continental GT3-R.

This system brakes individual front and rear wheels during acceleration out of corners, whilst maintaining full power to un-braked wheels, and brakes the inside rear wheel on turn-in. It also has a bespoke, less intrusive stability control calibration.

New Bentley Continental Supersports All-Wheel-Drive System

The new Supersports retains the rear-biased torque split of Bentley’s all-wheel-drive system, sending 60 per cent of the engine’s power to the rear wheels as standard. It also has the ability to adjust the front-rear power split depending on available traction.

New Bentley Continental Supersports Suspension

The Supersports is equipped with a lowered and stiffened suspension set-up. In spite of that, Bentley says that it “retains all of its luxurious ride quality for passengers wishing to cover long distances in supreme comfort”.

New Bentley Continental Supersports Design

The new Continental Supersports features unique exterior and interior styling cues.

Exterior changes include newly sculpted front and rear bumper designs incorporating a carbon-fibre splitter and diffuser respectively, new side sill extensions and bonnet vents also finished in carbon-fibre, gloss-black front wing vents and a new gloss-black, rifled exhaust tailpipe design.

Rounding off the aesthetic updates are dark-tint headlamps and tail-lamps, and a complement of black-finished brightware to the front grilles, lights, rear bumper, door handles and window surrounds.

There is also an optional, aerodynamically balanced rear spoiler and front splitter combination for the coupe, new Supersports badging, a new black and bright-machined finish for the 21” forged alloy wheels and  optional side decals. An optional gloss-finished, Supersports-branded carbon-fibre engine cover can be specified.

New Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible

The new Continental Supersports Convertible features a multi-layer hood that “ensures high levels of refinement and acoustic insulation”. Claimed to have been exhaustively tested in all conditions from -30°C to +50°C or more, it “resists even monsoon-force rain and maintains comfortable, draft-free warmth even on the coldest days”. Also unique to the Convertible is a neck warmer.

New Bentley Continental Supersports Interior

Inside, a host of bespoke styling details enhance the contemporary British luxury experience.

A unique colour split has been created for the new Supersports using three colours: the first tri-tone interior offered in this generation Continental GT.

A new diamond-quilted design is incorporated in the seats and door side panels for a unique signature in Alcantara, while chequered Supersports carbon-fibre fascia panels join the existing list of ten veneers and technical finishes available.

The interior is completed by new Supersports emblem stitching, and a bespoke Supersports steering wheel and unique gearlever, both featuring Alcantara accents.

New Bentley Continental Supersports Personalisation

For the new Supersports, an ‘X Specification’ pack is available, consisting of eight unique duo-tone paint treatments and carbon-fibre door mirrors and heel plates. The titanium exhaust option is included, as is a carbon-fibre finish to the interior side panels, the carbon-fibre engine cover and a gloss black finish to the 21” forged wheels.

 

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