Pushing the envelope to lead the pack
FUTURE MODELS/ Bentley has revealed its most powerful model ever in the Continental Supersports
Sir Derek Bell dropped in at Kyalami in 2009. In motoring circles you do not get much more VIP than Sir Derek. It will come as no surprise therefore that he has been in SA for a rather special car. That car is the Bentley Continental GT Supersports, the most powerful model yet in the Continental range.
But that was the old GT, with the new one having debuted in 2010. Now it is time for the Supersports badge to come out again and once more Bentley says the model is the most powerful car it has made.
And it is. Under the bonnet sits a W12 engine producing 522kW at 6,000 r/min and a monumental torque figure of 1,017Nm between 2,050 r/min and 4,500 r/min.
The 0-100km/h sprint is dispatched in a claimed 3.4 seconds and the top speed is 336km/h. Those are figures for the coupe, which Bentley proudly declares is now the world’s fastest four-seater luxury car. There will also be a convertible that hits 100 in 3.9 seconds and goes on to a 330km/h top speed, making it, yes you guessed it, the world’s fastest four-seat convertible. The figures are even more impressive seeing the car weighs 2,280kg.
ICONIC
“The Supersports name is legendary at Bentley,” says Wolfgang Dürheimer, company chairman and CEO. “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.”
Key to the Supersports’ additional outputs are newly designed, higher-capacity turbochargers and a revised charge-air cooling system that create more boost and power.
To harness these extra outputs, the Continental’s cranktrain has been upgraded.
These revisions result in a 59kW and 217Nm increase over the 2009 model — a 10% powerto-weight and 25% torque-toweight ratio improvement.
The Supersports also benefits from a new torque converter that locks up faster allowing the car to make best use of that huge torque figure.
To rein in this performance the new model is fitted with high-performance carbon ceramic brakes with enhanced cooling. The brake discs are the largest of their type in the world. The brakes sit behind lightweight 21-inch forged alloy wheels, offering a 20kg weight saving in unsprung mass.
The Supersports also 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 to increase performance, while maintaining full power to unbraked wheels, and brakes the inside rear wheel on turn-in to improve agility. It has a bespoke, less intrusive stability control calibration to provide a more precise chassis response.
It retains the rear-biased torque split of Bentley’s allwheel drive system, sending 60% of the engine’s power to the rear wheels as standard, but with the ability to adjust the front-rear power split depending on available traction.
Exterior changes include newly sculpted front and rear bumper designs incorporating a carbon fibre splitter and diffuser, new side sill extensions and bonnet vents also finished in carbon fibre, gloss-black front wing vents and a new glossblack, and technical finishes available. The interior is completed by new Supersports emblem stitching, and a bespoke Supersports steering wheel and unique gear lever.
For Supersports customers seeking even more personalisation, an “X Specification” pack is available or you can just hand the car over to the in-house coach builders and have it created to your own requirements.
Like the 2009 Supersports, this is most likely the swansong for the current Continental range, with a new generation under development. However, it will be years until the Supersports name adorns that model.
Motor News will be driving the new Supersports later in February, so keep an eye out for our full review.